Vuippens
Origin of the name Vuippens
The name appears in 855 (or 856) as « Wippedingus », also read « Vuitpedingus » or « Unipetdingus ». Then come « Wippens » in 1228, « Wippingen » in 1245, the German form that remained in use, and « Vuipens » in 1668. Tradition sees in it the name of a Germanic founder, Vuitpot, around 500 or 600.[1][2]
Founding of Vuippens
Vuippens lies in the Sionge valley, on the left bank of the Lac de la Gruyère and on the Bulle-Fribourg axis. The site was inhabited from Antiquity, and the parish existed by the mid-9th century. The village belonged to the lordship of Corbières until 1224. Its lords, descended from the Corbières and vassals of the count of Gruyère, founded a town there in the mid-13th century and held the advocacy of Humilimont. Vuippens is today a village of the municipality of Marsens (merger of 2001).[1][2]
History of Vuippens
1st-3rd centuries. A Gallo-Roman villa heated by hypocausts stood at the place called La Palaz.[1]
7th century. A cemetery of 174 graves lay at La Palaz.[1]
852-875. The parish is attested.[1]
1145-1149. Bishop Amadeus of Lausanne gave the parish of Vuippens to the abbey of Humilimont.[3]
1224. Vuippens left the lordship of Corbières and formed that of the lords of Vuippens, the first known of whom was Ulrich I.[1][2]
Mid-13th century. Ulrich de Vuippens founded the town, one of the ten « towns » of the Gruyère.[1]
1349. During the Everdes war (1348-1350), Fribourg, helped by Bern, burned the small town and the castles.[1][2]
1547. Deep in debt, the last lord, Petermann, saw his property shared out among his creditors, who sold it to Fribourg.[2]
1553. Fribourg acquired Vuippens in 1553 (or 1549), which formed a single bailiwick with Everdes until 1798.[1][2]
16th century. The Château de Boccard was built. It is still privately owned.[1]
1778. The old bailiff's castle was heavily altered.[1]
1781. After the Chenaux uprising, the burghers kept their old liberties without collectively joining the burghership of Fribourg.[1]
1791. The church of Saint-Sulpice was rebuilt, and again in 1862.[1]
1798. Vuippens rose against Fribourg. The last bailiff, Griset de Forel, left the castle, and the village joined the district of Bulle, then in 1848 the Gruyère district.[1][2]
1861. Sorens left the parish of Vuippens.[1]
1981. The A12 motorway opened and the population recovered.[1]
1987. A wastewater treatment plant for the Sionge basin was put into service.[1]
2001. Vuippens merged with Marsens.[1][2]
Population of Vuippens
Sources and references: [1]
| 1850 | 207 |
| 1900 | 265 |
| 1950 | 265 |
| 1980 | 208 |
| 2000 | 251 |
Historic sites in Vuippens
Church of Saint-Sulpice. Rebuilt in 1791 and again in 1862, the parish church is listed in the cultural property inventory (category B).[1][4]
Bailiff's castle. The bailiffs' residence until 1798, heavily altered in 1778, the castle is a cultural property of national importance (category A).[1][4]
Fortified house and Philiponna farmhouse. The fortified house known as « de Sorens », rue des Châteaux, and the Philiponna farmhouse, place Saint-Sulpice, are in category A. The 16th-century Château de Boccard has remained private.[4][1]
Remains in Vuippens
La Palaz. At the place called La Palaz, a Gallo-Roman villa of the 1st-3rd centuries, with hypocausts, and a 7th-century cemetery of 174 graves were uncovered. A Neolithic copper axe was also found at Vuippens.[1]
Medieval town. The town founded by Ulrich de Vuippens and its castles were burned in 1349, a fatal blow for the lords and for the small town.[1][2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Vuippens » (Alain-Jacques Czouz-Tornare, version du 15.08.2013)
- Commune de Marsens, « Histoire »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Villarvolard » (Marianne Rolle, version du 22.09.2011)
- 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 Vuippens
Missing information, or do you have a source? Suggest a correction or addition. Every submission is checked before it's published.
Suggest a change