Kerzers
Origin of the name Kerzers
The place appears in 926 as « Cartris », then as « Kercers » in 1153 and « Chiet(r)i » in 1228. The present French name is Chiètres. The origin of the name is unclear.[1]
Founding of Kerzers
Kerzers lies on the eastern edge of the Grosses Moos, on a transit road across the Plateau that is attested in Roman times and is probably older. The church, the estate and the tithe belonged to the Cluniac priory of Payerne, on which the village depended until the Reformation. Under Savoy, Kerzers already had the facilities of a small town: public baths and a butchery at the Burgstatt, communal ovens, inns, forges and a tannery. Two annual fairs were held there from the late Middle Ages.[1]
History of Kerzers
6th-7th century. The cemetery by the church comes into use. It will serve until 1876.[1]
926. First mention of the place, as « Cartris ».[1]
962. A charter grants the church, the estate and the tithe to the priory of Payerne. It is a later forgery, but it may go back to a 10th-century donation, and Payerne's possession is confirmed in 1148.[1]
1153. St Martin's church, probably of Merovingian origin, is mentioned for the first time.[1]
12th century. Payerne probably founds a small priory at Kerzers as a stopping place for pilgrims. It no longer exists in 1228. Payerne's advocacy over the village is enfeoffed to vassals of the Zähringen, then of the Kyburg in the 13th century.[1]
14th century. The advocacy passes to the bishop of Lausanne, who entrusts it to Savoy. Kerzers is attached to the jurisdiction of Murten (Morat).[1]
1339. The Romanesque church burns during the Laupen war.[1]
1475. Bern and Fribourg occupy Murten and make it a joint bailiwick, which includes Kerzers.[1]
1476. The church burns again during the Burgundian Wars. Rebuilding starts in 1477.[1]
1479. Bern confirms the village's rights over its town-like facilities.[1]
1512-1520. The church receives a Gothic choir (1512-1513), stained glass (1513-1515) and wall paintings (1519-1520).[1]
1530. Under pressure from Bern, the population adopts the Reformation. After Payerne is secularised in 1536, the patronage of the church passes to Bern.[1]
1793. Rights of use in the Grosses Moos, shared with the neighbouring municipalities, lead to a conflict, the « Moos war » (also dated 1795).[1][2]
1798-1848. The bailiwick passes to Fribourg in 1798, Murten becomes a district seat in 1803 and the village community becomes a municipality in 1831. In 1848 Kerzers joins the Lake district.[1]
1876. The Morat-Lyss line reaches the village. The Bern-Neuchâtel line follows in 1901, and both make it easier to sell vegetables.[1]
1891. The first Jura water correction, followed by land improvement, makes the Moos usable. Intensive market gardening develops from 1900.[1]
1918. The Swiss market-gardening cooperative takes over Cultures maraîchères SA Chiètres, which farms over 100 ha. Kerzers becomes one of Coop's main vegetable suppliers.[1]
1927. A secondary school opens. An orientation school follows in 1987 and a home for the elderly in 1991.[1]
1970s. After the motorway connection, industry and trade settle here, along with a vegetable distribution centre. New districts spread eastwards towards the Arnen forest.[1]
2003. The Papiliorama Foundation begins to open tropical halls at Kerzers, among them the Nocturama, which draw many visitors.[1]
Population of Kerzers
Sources and references: [1][4]
| 1835 | 1'057 |
| 1850 | 1'158 |
| 1900 | 1'294 |
| 1950 | 1'944 |
| 2000 | 3'892 |
| 2010 | 4'598 |
| 2025 | 5'546 |
Historic sites in Kerzers
Reformed church, formerly St Martin's. It keeps the foundations of a Carolingian apse and remains of the Romanesque building. The Gothic choir dates from 1512-1513, the stained glass from 1513-1515 and the wall paintings from 1519-1520. The church is a cultural property of regional importance.[1][3]
Parsonage. The parsonage at Herresrain 5 is listed as a cultural property of regional importance.[3]
Station signal box. The signal box on the Bahnhofplatz is a cultural property of national importance.[3]
Salomon Notz farmhouse and tannery loft. The farmhouse at Fräschelsgasse 1 and the tannery drying loft (Gerbestock) at Gerbegasse 14 are cultural properties of regional importance.[3]
Papiliorama. Tropical halls of the Papiliorama Foundation, open since 2003, with the Nocturama.[1]
Remains in Kerzers
Prehistory and Roman period. Isolated Mesolithic finds, a Bronze Age settlement, and Roman walls and decorative elements have been found at Kerzers.[1]
Pilgrims' priory. A small priory, probably founded in the 12th century by Payerne as a stopping place for pilgrims. It had disappeared by 1228.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Chiètres » (Anne-Marie Dubler, version du 09.01.2020)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Fräschels » (Ursula Birchler, version du 31.10.2005)
- 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 Kerzers
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