Rue
Origin of the name Rue
Rue appears in 1152 as « Rota », and the old German name was « Rüw ». The name is thought to come from the Latin « ruga », street or route. A deed of gift of King Rudolph III of Burgundy, around 1011, is said to name the place already.[1][2]
Founding of Rue
Rue grew out of a castle set on a spur above the upper Broye valley, where the roads Vevey-Avenches, Fribourg-Lausanne and Vaulruz-Rue met, along which Gruyère cheese travelled to the market of Moudon. In the 12th century the stronghold belonged to the lords of Rue, vassals of the counts of Geneva. Peter II of Savoy took it in the 13th century, installed a castellan and had a new town built at the foot of the castle, granted the franchises of Moudon. Competition from Moudon, Lucens and Romont held back its growth.[1][3]
History of Rue
Around 1011. A deed of gift of King Rudolph III of Burgundy is said to mention Rue already.[2]
1152. Rue is mentioned as « Rota ». The castle belongs to Rodolphe de Rue, a vassal of the counts of Geneva.[1][3]
1237. The war between the count of Geneva and Peter II of Savoy costs the lords of Rue their castle, which is destroyed.[1][3]
1251 (or 1260-1268). Peter II of Savoy has the castle rebuilt, with a terrace serving as a refuge enclosure. A Savoyard castellan settles there in 1258 (or 1255).[1][2][3]
1264-1271. The new town is built at the foot of the castle.[1]
1285-1293. The new town receives the franchises of Moudon. From the end of the 13th century Rue holds a weekly market and annual fairs.[1]
1336 (or 1306). The chapel of Saint-Nicolas exists, within the parish of Promasens.[1][2]
1433. By this date at the latest, Rue has a hospital.[1]
1475-1478. During the Burgundian Wars the castle passes to the Confederates, then to the count of Romont, before returning to Savoy in 1478. The town is probably plundered and the castle largely destroyed.[1][2][3]
1536. During the conquest of Vaud, Rue surrenders to Fribourg, which makes it the seat of a bailiwick.[1][2]
1619-1763. The castle, probably badly run down, is rebuilt and a prison is installed.[3]
1622-1638. The chapel of Saint-Nicolas separates from Promasens in 1622, and Rue becomes a parish in 1638.[1]
1798. The bailiwick ends and Rue becomes a district seat, with a prefecture.[1]
1848. The prefecture is abolished and Rue joins the district of the Glâne.[1][2]
1856. On 25 February the State sells the castle at auction. It has remained in private hands since.[1][3]
1898. Ferdinand Ferber, an aviation pioneer whose family owns the castle, tests his glider there. He would continue his research in France under the pseudonym « F. de Rue ».[3]
1993. Blessens merges with Rue, under a decree of 6 May 1993.[1][4]
2001. Gillarens and Promasens join the municipality, under a decree of 14 December 2000.[1][4]
2023. On 12 November Rue and Auboranges (79 % yes), Chapelle (83.6 %) and Ecublens (64.9 %) approve their merger.[5]
2025. On 1 January Auboranges, Chapelle (Glâne) and Ecublens join Rue, whose territory now spans both banks of the Broye.[1][5][6]
Population of Rue
Sources and references: [1][7]
| 1278 | 53 hearths |
| 1368 | 48 hearths |
| 1425 | 39 hearths |
| 1850 | 641 |
| 1900 | 615 |
| 1950 | 671 |
| 1980 | 456 |
| 2000 | 525 |
| 2010 | 1'203 |
| 2020 | 1'529 |
| 2025 | 2'638 |
Historic sites in Rue
Rue Castle. The square keep may date from the 12th century. A stone bridge replaced the medieval drawbridge, a small building houses the courtyard well and the last prefect had a pool dug there. The castle is private and occasionally opens for events.[3]
The town. The new town built from 1264 to 1271 at the foot of the castle was closed by three gates, now gone.[1][2]
Saint-Nicolas. The chapel of Saint-Nicolas, recorded in 1336 and given a baptismal font in 1436, becomes the centre of the parish of Rue in 1638.[1]
Chapellenie Maillardoz. A town house in the old town, a private cultural centre since 2006.[1]
Remains in Rue
Mound at en Saulgy. At the place called en Saulgy, an isolated mound may be a Hallstatt-period burial mound.[1]
Bronze boar. A bronze statuette of a boar, possibly Roman, was found at Rue.[1]
Early medieval cemetery. A cemetery of the 6th and 7th centuries has been uncovered.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Rue (commune) » (Florian Defferrard, version du 05.03.2026)
- Commune de Rue, « Histoire »
- Fribourg Région, « Château de Rue »
- État de Fribourg, Recueil systématique (RSF 141.1.2), « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes »
- Frapp, « Rue, Auboranges, Chapelle et Ecublens fusionneront » (12.11.2023)
- Frapp, « Les députés fribourgeois valident la nouvelle commune de Rue » (23.05.2024)
- 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 Rue
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