Romont
Origin of the name Romont
The place appears in 1177 as « in Rotundo Monte », then in 1244 as « Romont ». The name comes from the Latin « rotundus mons », the round hill, and the old German name was « Remund ».[1][3]
Founding of Romont
In 1177 a charter of Hauterive Abbey still describes the hill as wooded. It then belonged to the bishop of Lausanne, and Nantelme (or Anselme) of Billens held rights there, which he ceded in 1239 to Count Peter II of Savoy. From 1240 a Savoyard castellan resided there and a new town grew up beside the castle. The peace of Evian, concluded in 1244 between the bishop and Savoy, secured the Savoyard position. Romont became the seat of a castellany, a link between Fribourg and the Savoyard lands and, after Lausanne, one of the most important towns of the Pays de Vaud. By the end of the 13th century it had more than 1'000 inhabitants. Romont is today the chief town of the Glâne district.[1]
History of Romont
1177. A charter of Hauterive Abbey names the hill « in Rotundo Monte » and describes it as wooded.[1][3]
1239. Peter II of Savoy acquires the rights of Nantelme of Billens over the hill, land of the bishop of Lausanne.[1]
1240-1242. A castellan is mentioned in 1240, and a new town rises beside the castle, whose great tower is built in 1240-1242.[1][2]
1244. After the peace of Evian the bishop cedes the patronage to Peter II, who makes Romont a parish separate from Billens. The bishop also grants a weekly market.[1]
1260-1265. Under the direction of Pierre Mainier, the « Savoyard square » replaces the wooden enclosure of the old keep.[2]
1268. The Cistercian convent of La Fille-Dieu is founded below the town. It is the only one of Romont's many convents still in existence.[1][3]
1271-1296. The church of Notre-Dame is built from 1271 and consecrated in 1296.[1]
1275. The burghers' hospital is recorded. The same year a fire strikes the castle, whose great tower has to be repaired.[1][2]
1285-1293. Romont receives the franchises of Moudon, by 1328 at the latest. The burghers' council, chaired by a syndic, runs the hospital, the school, the leper house, the ovens, the mills and the wells.[1]
1434-1456. The fire of 1434 almost destroys the church, which is rebuilt on the same site and consecrated again in 1456. In 1434 the duke of Savoy grants two more fairs. The Passion play is performed for the first time in 1456.[1]
Burgundian Wars. Loyal to Savoy, the town, with nearly 1'500 inhabitants, is burned and plundered twice by the Bernese and the Fribourgeois.[1]
1536. During the Bernese conquest of Vaud, Romont sides with Fribourg to keep its Catholic faith. The castle becomes the seat of a Fribourg bailiff.[1]
1579-1591. In 1579 the bailiff's residence collapses, bringing down part of the great keep. Fribourg rebuilds the whole by 1591.[1][2]
1727. The Capuchins settle in Romont, where they remain until 1979.[1][3]
1798. The bailiwick ends. Romont becomes a district seat, and the castle now houses the prefecture.[1][2]
1843-1865. Five fires devastate the Gothic town and force its modernisation. The three gates are demolished between 1842 and 1854.[1][3]
1848. Romont becomes the chief town of the Glâne district. In 1850-1851 the town takes part in the uprising of Nicolas Carrard, its only episode of dissent with Fribourg.[1]
1862. The station on the Bern-Lausanne line opens. The line to Bulle follows in 1868, the year Arruffens is joined to Romont.[1][4]
1976. Tetrapak settles in Romont, after Electroverre, founded in 1935. Industrial zones spread towards Arruffens from the 1960s.[1]
1981. Les Glânes join the municipality, under a decree of 14 May 1980. The same year the Swiss Museum of Stained Glass moves into the castle.[1][4]
Population of Romont
Sources and references: [1][5]
| 1278 | 230 hearths |
| 1364 | 330 hearths |
| 1417 | 400 hearths, approximately |
| 1850 | 1'386 |
| 1900 | 2'110 |
| 1950 | 2'807 |
| 2000 | 3'964 |
| 2025 | 6'276 |
Historic sites in Romont
Castle. Castle of Peter II of Savoy. Its great tower, of 1240-1242, was lowered by 2 m in 1778. The east curtain wall, brought down in 1579, was rebuilt to plans attributed to Franz Cotti. The well of 1586-1589 keeps a large treadwheel dated 1772, and the courtroom was refitted in 1756-1759. At the entrance, a fountain by François Baud (1955) shows Queen Bertha, Peter II, Humbert the Bastard and James of Savoy.[2]
Vitromusée. Set up in the castle in 1981 as the Swiss Museum of Stained Glass and Glass Art, it took the name Vitromusée in 2006, after the renovation of the north wing by the architects Marco Bakker and Alexandre Blanc. It shows the collection of reverse glass paintings bequeathed by Ruth and Frieder Ryser.[1][2][3]
Collegiate church of Notre-Dame. Gothic church in molasse sandstone, dedicated to Notre-Dame de l'Assomption and rebuilt after the fire of 1434. Named a collegiate church in 1515, it never housed a chapter. Its choir stalls were carved in 1464 and its modern windows are by Alexandre Cingria and Yoki.[1][3]
Tour à Boyer. The small round keep, built around 1250-1260, probably by Peter II of Savoy, is named after Mr Boyer, who bought it at auction in the 19th century before the town bought it back.[1][3]
Ramparts and towers. The Savoyard ramparts run for 1'500 m. The Tour du Sauvage, from the 14th century, has been a summer cultural venue since 1989. The Tour des Béguines, rebuilt after the fire of 1589, served as a granary until the mid-19th century.[3]
Capuchin church. Built in 1727 for the Capuchins, who left the friary in 1979. It is now a cultural venue.[1][3]
Maison Saint-Charles. Home of the Saint-Charles secondary school founded in 1859, with a boarding school from 1884 to 1973. Its wing of 1928 is by the architect Fernand Dumas, with decoration by Yoki and Alexandre Cingria.[1][3]
La Fille-Dieu Abbey. Convent of Cistercian nuns founded in 1268 at the foot of the hill and still inhabited. Its church received windows by Brian Clarke in 1996.[1][3]
Remains in Romont
Bossens burial mounds. At Bossens a cemetery of five burial mounds dates from the Hallstatt period. Bronze Age objects have also been found in the area.[1]
Roman site of Bochanat. A Roman settlement, perhaps a villa, has been identified at Bochanat.[1]
Town gates. The three gate towers of the walls, known as the Billens, Mézières and Fribourg gates, disappeared between 1842 and 1854 (or in 1845).[1][3]
Legends of Romont
Rudolph II as founder. A tradition credits King Rudolph II of Burgundy with founding Romont in 921. It is only a legend.[1]
The squirrels. The people of Romont are nicknamed « écureuils », squirrels. The nickname is said to come from the great wheel of the castle well, in which people walked to raise the water.[2][3]
The Wild Man. A hairy, bearded creature lived in the woods and came out in spring to chase young girls. The Tour du Sauvage is named after him.[3]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Romont (FR) » (Florian Defferrard, version du 24.05.2012)
- Inventaire suisse des biens culturels (PBC), fiche « Château de Pierre II de Savoie (Rue du Château No 108) », Romont
- Fribourg Région, Romont Région, dépliant « Romont » (parcours historique)
- État de Fribourg, Recueil systématique (RSF 141.1.2), « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes »
- 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
Localities of the municipality with a page
Other villages near Romont
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