Val-de-Charmey
Origin of the name Val-de-Charmey
The name « Val-de-Charmey » was set by the merger law of 2013, which turned Cerniat and Charmey into village names. From the mid-16th century to 1852, Crésuz, Châtel-sur-Montsalvens, Cerniat and Charmey already formed the « Pays et val de Charmey », led by a governor: an association of interests, not a single municipality. The quartered coat of arms recalls this history: two red stars for the two villages, a golden globe for the Carthusians of La Valsainte, established in 1295, a fir tree rising from a mount for the Liberty Tree of 1798, emblem of the Pays et val de Charmey until 1852, and three wavy green bars for water and nature.[2][7][6]
Founding of Val-de-Charmey
Val-de-Charmey unites Cerniat and Charmey. The project began in 2007 with four municipalities, then narrowed to the two that had accepted it. The municipal councils signed the agreement on 15 November 2012, the citizens approved it on 3 March 2013 and the Grand Council passed the law on 9 October 2013. The merger took effect on 1 January 2014. The new municipality covers 111.73 km² (33.70 for Cerniat, 78.03 for Charmey) and had 2'198 inhabitants at the end of 2011. The canton granted it 436'200 francs in aid.[1][2][3]
History of Val-de-Charmey
2007. In December, Cerniat, Charmey, Crésuz and Châtel-sur-Montsalvens launched a four-way merger project.[1]
2010. On 5 May, Crésuz and Châtel-sur-Montsalvens rejected the merger, which Cerniat and Charmey accepted. A survey in October favoured a two-way study.[1]
2011. The two municipal councils met on 3 October to launch the project, which was presented to the citizens in November.[1]
2012. On 15 November, the municipal councils signed the merger agreement.[1]
2013. On 3 March, Cerniat approved the agreement by 158 votes to 46, Charmey by 584 votes to 293.[1]
2013. The Council of State submitted the bill on 1 July. The Grand Council adopted it on 9 October and entered Val-de-Charmey in the list of municipalities of the Gruyère district.[1][2][3][4]
2014. On 1 January, Val-de-Charmey replaced Cerniat and Charmey, whose burghers became burghers of the new municipality.[2][5]
2024. In September, the municipality presented a logo with two green blocks, one for each village, which replaces the coat of arms on its correspondence.[6]
Population of Val-de-Charmey
Sources and references: [1][9]
| 2011 | 2'198 |
| 2025 | 2'725 |
Historic sites in Val-de-Charmey
Municipal administration. The administration of Val-de-Charmey is in Charmey, rue du Centre 24.[8]
La Valsainte Charterhouse. On the territory of the former municipality of Cerniat, La Valsainte Charterhouse, founded by Girard de Corbières, is the only Carthusian monastery in Switzerland.[7]
Sources
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, message n° 69 accompagnant le projet de loi relatif à la fusion des communes de Cerniat et Charmey (01.07.2013)
- Conseil d'État du canton de Fribourg, projet de loi du 1er juillet 2013 relative à la fusion des communes de Cerniat et Charmey
- Grand Conseil du canton de Fribourg, Parlinfo, affaire 2013-DIAF-20 « Fusion des communes de Cerniat et Charmey »
- État de Fribourg, « Liste chronologique des fusions, divisions et changements de nom des communes » (RSF 141.1.2), législation fribourgeoise
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Val-de-Charmey » (version du 15.09.2016)
- Commune de Val-de-Charmey, « Logo & Armoiries »
- Commune de Val-de-Charmey, « Portrait »
- Commune de Val-de-Charmey, site officiel (administration communale)
- 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 Val-de-Charmey
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