Ursy
Origin of the name Ursy
The village is called « Ursei » around 1160, « Ursez » in 1215 and « Ursy » in 1235. The name is said to come from « Urciaum », the estate of a Gallo-Roman named Ursius, to which the bear in the coat of arms alludes.[1][2]
Founding of Ursy
Ursy lies at the foot of the woods of the Mont and the Pignets, which shelter it from the north winds. It is nicknamed « le petit Montreux de la Basse Glâne ». In the Middle Ages the village belonged to the lordship of Rue before Fribourg acquired it. In 1869 it took over the seat of the very old parish of Morlens. Once a farming village, Ursy has become the economic centre of the southern Glâne, with a timber industry and the Mifroma cellars, and is taking on a residential character. The present municipality was formed by three mergers, in 2001, 2012 and 2025.[1][2]
History of Ursy
Late Bronze Age. A settlement is established on the municipal territory.[1]
Roman period. Drying and smoking installations are built, whose remains have been found.[1]
Around 1160. The village appears under the name « Ursei ».[1][2]
1234. A charter mentions the late Ulric, squire of Ursy.[1]
1536-1798. Acquired by Fribourg with the lordship of Rue, Ursy comes under a Fribourg bailiwick.[1]
1760. The municipality has its statutes.[2]
1798-1848. Ursy belongs to the district of Rue.[1]
1852. The village has 111 inhabitants, 15 houses and 8 small buildings, with 154 poses of meadow, 213 of fields, 19 of woodland and 50 of pasture.[2]
1861-1869. The church of Saint-Maurice is built from the molasse of the cliff (in 1859 according to the municipality). In 1869 the seat of the parish of Morlens moves to Ursy.[1][2]
1906. A school is built, also of molasse.[1][2]
1926. The municipality adopts its coat of arms, a bear and the trefoil cross of Saint Maurice.[2]
1965 (or 1964). The cheese cellars of Mifroma, a Migros subsidiary, are set up in the cliff.[1][2]
1987. A new building replaces the school of 1906.[1]
2001. On 1 January Ursy merges with Bionnens, Mossel and Vauderens, under a decree of 14 December 2000.[1][2][6]
2006. A cheese dairy brings together five former dairy societies of the area.[1]
2010. The Mifroma cellars provide 230 jobs.[1]
2012. On 1 January Vuarmarens, which already includes Morlens and Esmonts, joins Ursy, under a law of 4 November 2011.[1][2][6]
2024. On 3 March the merger with Montet (Glâne) is approved by 1'084 votes to 165 in Ursy and by 171 to 65 in Montet. The Grand Council approves it on 25 June.[4][5]
2025. On 1 January Montet (Glâne) becomes part of the municipality of Ursy, which keeps its name.[1][2][4]
Population of Ursy
Sources and references: [1][7]
| 1811 | 108 |
| 1850 | 145 |
| 1900 | 179 |
| 1950 | 243 |
| 1990 | 492 |
| 2000 | 759 |
| 2001 | 1'429 |
| 2010 | 1'789 |
| 2012 | 2'540 |
| 2020 | 3'271 |
| 2025 | 4'073 |
Historic sites in Ursy
Church of Saint-Maurice. Built from 1861 to 1869 of local molasse, it has been the parish seat since 1869 and serves Bionnens, Esmonts, Morlens, Montet, Vauderens and Vuarmarens.[1][2]
Mifroma cellars. Dug into the molasse cliff from the 1960s, they are presented by the municipality as the largest and most modern cheese cellars in the world.[1][2]
Municipal administration. The seat of the municipality of eight villages is in Ursy, route de Moudon 5.[3]
Remains in Ursy
Late Bronze Age settlement. A settlement from the end of the Bronze Age has been uncovered on the municipal territory.[1]
Roman drying and smoking installations. Remains of Roman installations for drying and smoking have been discovered in the municipality.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Ursy » (Marianne Rolle, version du 23.09.2025)
- Commune d'Ursy, « Historique »
- Commune d'Ursy, « La commune »
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, Message 2023-DIAF-38 accompagnant le projet de décret relatif à la fusion des communes de Montet (Glâne) et Ursy (7 mai 2024)
- Grand Conseil du canton de Fribourg, affaire 2023-DIAF-38, « Approbation de la fusion des communes de Montet (Glâne) et Ursy »
- 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 Ursy
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