Sugiez
Origin of the name Sugiez
The village appears in 1162 as « Solzie », then in 1339 as « Suaniez ». The name remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Sugiez
Sugiez grew up at the foot of Mont Vully, on the edge of the Grand-Marais, on the Broye. The river crossing mattered early on: the Romans had bridges and ports here, and a 13th-century tower probably watched over river traffic. The village belonged to the lordship of Murten, then to the common bailiwick of Bern and Fribourg, and to the parish of Môtier. After the Jura water correction its eastern part expanded, and in 1898 the canton set up its Bellechasse prison on the plain.[1][2]
History of Sugiez
1162. Helias de Glâne gives vineyards at « Solzie » to the abbey of Hauterive.[1]
Mid-13th century. The Broye tower is built, probably to watch over traffic on the river.[1]
1428. Sugiez has 14 hearths.[1]
1484. The village, until then part of the lordship of Murten, becomes part of the common bailiwick of Bern and Fribourg.[1]
1530. Sugiez turns Protestant with the parish of Môtier.[1]
1667. A great fire ravages the village. Others follow in 1769 and 1794.[1]
1739-1740. A wooden bridge is built over the Broye.[1]
1752. A road is built.[1]
1798-1848. Sugiez belongs to the district of Murten.[1]
1878-1882. The Jura water correction changes the course of the lower Broye. The eastern part of the village develops.[1]
1898. The canton of Fribourg opens an « agricultural colony » in the Grand-Marais, the future Bellechasse prison, whose first inmates drain the land.[1][2]
1903. The Murten-Ins railway line opens.[1]
1933. A Catholic church and a Protestant chapel are completed at Bellechasse.[2]
2016. Sugiez, a village of the former municipality of Bas-Vully, becomes part of Mont-Vully.[1]
Population of Sugiez
Sources and references: [1]
| 1428 | 14 hearths |
| 1613 | 21 houses |
| 1657 | 32 houses |
| 1813 | 77 houses |
| 1992 | 771 inhabitants |
| 2011 | 1'410 inhabitants |
Historic sites in Sugiez
Bellechasse institutions. The prison opened in 1898 lies on the land of Sugiez and Galmiz. Its farm is the second largest in Switzerland after Witzwil. Between 1920 and 1980, hundreds of men and women from various cantons were interned here by administrative order.[1][2]
Church of Saint-Vincent de Paul of the prison. Church of Bellechasse listed in the inventory of cultural property (B object).[2][3]
Remains in Sugiez
Prehistoric sites. Two Neolithic sites and a Bronze Age site have been found at Sugiez.[1]
Roman bridges and ports. Six bridges and three river ports from Roman times have been found.[1]
Broye tower. Mid-13th-century tower, probably used to watch over river traffic.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Sugiez » (Marianne Rolle), version du 04.10.2016
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Bellechasse » (Alix Heiniger), version du 20.02.2024
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, « Révision Inventaire PBC 2021 : liste cantonale, canton de FR » (état au 1.1.2026)
Other villages near Sugiez
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