Matran
Origin of the name Matran
The village appears in 1138 in the form « Matrans », and the spelling without s, « Matran », became established in 1578. The meaning of the name has not been worked out.[2]
Founding of Matran
Matran grew up on the left bank of the Glâne, on ground already occupied in the Iron Age and in Roman times. In the 12th century part of the land belonged to Elie de Glâne, who gave it to the abbey of Hauterive in 1162 on entering religious life. Above all, the village is the centre of an old parish dedicated to Saint Julian, recorded in 1228, to which Avry, Posieux and Neyruz also belonged. The church was among the possessions of the abbey of Payerne. Long a farming community, Matran became a mainly residential municipality after the motorway opened.[1]
History of Matran
Hallstatt period. Four burial mounds are raised on the territory of the future municipality.[1]
Roman period. Part of the Gallo-Roman villa of Corminboeuf extends onto the land of Matran.[1]
1138. The name is written « Matrans ».[2]
1162. Elie de Glâne enters religious life and gives his property, including that at Matran, to the abbey of Hauterive.[1]
1228. The parish of Matran is mentioned.[1]
1297. A leper house is recorded, and again in 1336.[1]
1442. By this date at the latest, Matran belongs to the Old Territories of Fribourg, in the banner of the Neuveville.[1]
1578. Documents now write « Matran », without the s.[2]
1590. Posieux leaves the parish of Matran.[1]
1651. The church of Saint-Julien is destroyed by fire. It is rebuilt and later enlarged several times, notably in 1893.[1]
1769. A school exists in the village. It receives a building in 1845.[1]
1798-1848. Matran belongs to the district of Fribourg.[1]
1844. Neyruz in turn becomes an independent parish.[1]
1862. On 3 September the first train passes through Matran, on the Lausanne-Bern line. A post office opens at the station in 1868.[1][2]
1870. A detachment of the retreating Bourbaki army camps at la Fenetta.[2]
1927. The sawmill of la Bagne burns down.[2]
1955-1982. The Redemptorists run the Saint-Joseph institute, which becomes a pastoral reception centre in 1985.[1]
1971. The A12 motorway opens. A large industrial zone develops and commuter traffic grows.[1]
2008. Voters accept the draft statutes of the Fribourg agglomeration.[1]
Population of Matran
Sources and references: [1][3]
| 1900 | 309 |
| 1950 | 369 |
| 1980 | 603 |
| 2000 | 1'261 |
| 2025 | 2'094 |
Historic sites in Matran
Church of Saint-Julien. Parish church, probably very old, ravaged by fire in 1651, then rebuilt and enlarged several times, the last major time in 1893. After the Reformation it came under the clergy of Notre-Dame in Fribourg.[1]
Saint-Joseph institute. House of the Redemptorists from 1955 to 1982, turned into a pastoral reception centre in 1985.[1]
Matran station. Station on the Lausanne-Bern line, where the first train passed on 3 September 1862.[1][2]
Remains in Matran
Hallstatt burial mounds. Four funerary mounds of the early Iron Age lie within the municipality.[1]
Gallo-Roman villa. Part of the Roman villa of Corminboeuf extends into the municipality of Matran.[1]
Leper house. A house for lepers is recorded in 1297 and 1336. It has disappeared.[1]
Sawmill of la Bagne. The sawmill, next to a water mill demolished before 1920, was destroyed by fire in 1927.[2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Matran » (Marianne Rolle, version du 28.08.2008)
- Meinrad Guex, avec Pierre Jacob, « Les mémoires de Matran », Commune de Matran (rédigé en 2002-2003)
- 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 Matran
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