Château de Vuippens
Origin of the name Château de Vuippens
The castle bears the name of the village, recorded in 855 as « Wippedingus » (« Vuitpedingus » or « Unipetdingus » in 856, by another reading), then « Wippens » in 1228, « Wippingen » in 1245 and « Vuipens » in 1668. It is linked to one Vuitpot, a man with a Germanic name said to have lived around 500 or 600.[1][3]
Founding of Château de Vuippens
Vuippens belongs to the lordship of Corbières until 1224, then becomes the centre of a lordship of its own, held by a branch of the Corbières under the overlordship of the counts of Gruyère. Ulrich I is the first known lord. In the mid-13th century Ulrich of Vuippens founds the small town, one of the ten « villes » of the Gruyère. The castle stands on a spur in a bend of the Sionge, on the Bulle-Fribourg road. The present bailiff's castle was built on the foundations of the lords' keep.[1][2][3]
History of Château de Vuippens
1224. Vuippens leaves the lordship of Corbières and becomes the centre of the lordship of Vuippens.[1][3]
Mid-13th century. Ulrich of Vuippens founds the small town. A branch of the family receives the advocacy of Humilimont abbey.[1][3]
1348-1350. The Everdes war proves fatal to the lords. In 1349 Fribourg, backed by Bern, burns the town and the castles.[1][3]
1547. Petermann, the last lord, cannot pay his debts. His property is shared among his creditors, who sell it to the State of Fribourg.[3]
1553. Fribourg acquires Vuippens (from 1549, according to another source). Until 1798 the lordship forms a bailiwick with Everdes, run by bailiffs.[1][3]
1715. The castle barn is built.[2]
1777-1780. The architect and builder Johann Popleter raises the new bailiff's castle on the foundations of the old keep (the old castle was heavily altered in 1778, according to another source). It is the work of builders from Vorarlberg.[1][2]
1798. Vuippens rises against Fribourg. The last bailiff, Griset de Forel, is asked to leave the castle, which is put up for sale.[1][2][3]
1841. The castle passes into private hands, where it has remained.[1][2]
Historic sites in Château de Vuippens
Bailiff's castle. The castle, at number 27 rue des Châteaux, has a T-shaped plan. Its south-west front has seven bays, marked by pilasters and a string course below the mezzanine, under a tall pavilion roof. It is a cultural property of national importance.[2][4]
Gardens and barn. The garden, a contemporary creation extending beyond the medieval enclosure, is among the finest in the canton. The castle barn, at number 27A, dates from 1715.[2]
Other houses on rue des Châteaux. The village keeps two privately owned castles: the former bailiff's castle and the 16th-century Boccard castle. At number 20 on the same street, the fortified house known as the maison forte de Sorens is also of national importance.[1][4]
Remains in Château de Vuippens
The lords' keep. Of the castle of the lords of Vuippens there remain the foundations of the keep, which carry the bailiff's castle of 1777-1780.[2]
Medieval town. Founded in the mid-13th century, the town was burned along with the castles in 1349, during the Everdes war.[1][3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vuippens » (Alain-Jacques Czouz-Tornare, version du 15.08.2013)
- Inventaire suisse des biens culturels (PBC), fiche « Château baillival » de Vuippens (KGS 02355), texte du Guide artistique de la Suisse (SHAS)
- Commune de Marsens, « Histoire »
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : Liste cantonale Canton de FR » (état au 1.1.2026)
Other villages near Château de Vuippens
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