Giffers
Origin of the name Giffers
Chevrilles in French. The village appears in 1160 as «Chivriles», in 1301 as «Guifrils» and in 1577 as «Giffers». The name remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Giffers
Giffers (Chevrilles) is a street village on the Ärgera, 7 km south-east of Fribourg, with the hamlets of Färtschera, Gauchetli, Matte, Neustatt, Popplera and Vorsatz. Finds from the Neolithic and the Hallstatt period have been made in the area. In the first half of the 12th century the lordship belonged to the lords of Glâne, before passing to Hauterive Abbey. The village then belonged to the parish of Marly.[1]
History of Giffers
Première moitié du XIIe siècle. The lordship of the lords of Glâne then passes to Hauterive Abbey.[1]
1160. The village is recorded as «Chivriles».[1]
Après 1317. Count Peter III of Gruyère buys the lordship.[1]
1324. He sells it, with high and low justice, to Petrus Aczonis, town physician of Fribourg.[1]
1390. The chapel of Saint Tiburtius first appears in the records.[1]
1406. Giffers is assigned to Fribourg's Bourg banner.[1]
Première moitié du XVe siècle. Mills, a stamp mill and several lime kilns operate along the Ärgera.[1]
1442. The sale of the Thierstein fiefs brings extensive holdings to the city of Fribourg.[1]
XVIe siècle. Three brickworks operate in the Eichholz area, and sandstone slabs are quarried along the Ärgera.[1]
XVIe-XVIIIe siècles. Until the late 18th century the convent of La Maigrauge in Fribourg is the largest landowner.[1]
1630. Giffers leaves the bilingual parish of Marly, mainly for linguistic reasons, and forms a new parish with Neuhaus, St. Silvester and Tentlingen.[1]
1831. The political municipality is constituted.[1]
XIXe siècle. Straw plaiting becomes important alongside farming.[1]
1850. Giffers is united with Neuhaus until 1895.[1]
1859. St. Silvester leaves the parish.[1]
1894. Neuhaus joins Plasselb.[1]
1895. Parts of the municipality of St. Ursen belong to the parish until 1902.[1]
1970-2000. The village grows mainly as a residential community, while the number of local jobs falls.[1]
2000. More than two thirds of workers commute out. About nine in ten inhabitants have German as their first language.[1]
Population of Giffers
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1811 | 512 |
| 1850 | 470 |
| 1888 | 749 |
| 1900 | 683 |
| 1930 | 690 |
| 1950 | 770 |
| 2000 | 1'393 |
| 2025 | 1'718 |
Historic sites in Giffers
Church of Saint Tiburtius. The parish church on the village square is listed in the federal inventory of cultural property as an object of regional importance (B). A chapel of Saint Tiburtius is recorded from 1390.[1][2]
Tithe house of La Maigrauge abbey. This building on the Oberdorfstrasse recalls that La Maigrauge abbey was the village's largest landowner from the 16th to the 18th century. It is listed in the federal inventory as an object of regional importance (B).[1][2]
Remains in Giffers
Prehistoric finds. Objects from the Neolithic and the Hallstatt period have been found in the municipal area.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Giffers » (Jean-François Steiert, version allemande du 08.09.2005)
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : liste cantonale, canton de Fribourg » (état au 1.1.2026)
- Service de la statistique du canton de Fribourg (SStat), « Population des communes, de 1900 à 2025 » (T01-02-03), population résidante permanente au 31.12.2025
Other villages near Giffers
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