Fribourg

or is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and district of La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, administrative and educational centre on the cultural border between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Its Old City, one of the best-maintained in Switzerland, sits on a small rocky hill above the valley of the Sarine. In 2018, it had a population of 38,365.

History

Prehistory

The region around Fribourg has been settled since the Neolithic period, although few remains have been found. These include some flint tools found near Bourguillon, as well as a stone hatchet and bronze tools. A river crossing was located in the area during the Roman Era. The main activity in the Swiss plateau went through the area to the north, however, and was instead centered around the valley of the river Broye and Aventicum. Therefore, only a few remains from the Roman era have been found in Fribourg. These include the traces of a wall foundation on the plains near Pérolles.

thumb|right|Valley of the Sarine in Fribourg

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.5% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 34.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 15.2%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.5%. Out of the forested land, 14.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 6.9% is used for growing crops and 6.0% is pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 1.7% is in lakes and 4.0% is in rivers and streams.

|source 2 = MeteoSwissInfoclimat (extremes)

Politics

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Castle embattled and towered on dexter issuant from a Semi Annulet all Argent.

The canton and the capital share the same name but have different coats of arms.

Administrative divisions

Government

The Municipal Council (, ) constitutes the executive government of the City of Fribourg and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of five councilors (, ), each presiding over a directorate comprising several departments and the related commissions. The president of the executive department acts as mayor (syndic). In the mandate period 2021–2026 (la législature) the Municipal Council is presided by Monsieur le Syndic Thierry Steiert. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the General Council (parliament) are carried by the Municipal Council. The regular election of the Municipal Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every five years. Any resident of Fribourg allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Municipal Council. Due to the constitution by canton of Fribourg not only Swiss citizen have the right to vote and elect and being elected on communal level, but also foreigners with a residence permit of type C and being resident in the canton of Fribourg for at least 5 years. The current mandate period is from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2026. The delegates are selected by means of a system of Proporz. The mayor is elected as such by a public election while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate. The executive body holds its meetings in the Town Hall (L'Hôtel de Ville), in the old city on Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.

As of 2021, Fribourg's Municipal Council is made up of two representatives of the PS/SP (Social Democratic Party, of whom one is also the mayor), and one each of PDC/CVP (Christian Democratic Party), PCS/CSP (Christian Social Party), and PES/GPS (Green Party), giving the left parties a majority of four out of five seats. The last regular election was held on 7 March 2021. All previous members have been re-elected.

{|class="wikitable"

|+ Le Conseil communal'Gemeinderat of Fribourg || PS || General Administration, Human Resources, Legal Affairs, and Civic Community Affairs (de l'administration générale, des ressources humaines, du service juridique et des affaires bourgeoisiales / der Zentralverwaltung, des Personalwesens, des Rechtsdienst und der Burgergemeinde, 2021) || 2011

| Laurent Dietrich ||  PDC || Finance, Culture, and Information Technology (des finances, de la culture et de l'informatique / der Finanzen, der Kultur und der Informatik, 2021) || 2016

| Miirjam Ballmer ||  PES || Youth Services, Schools and Social Cohesion, Social Services, and Adult Guardianship (de l'enfance, des écoles et de la cohésion sociale, des affaires sociales et des curatelles d'adultes'der Schule, Kinder und gesellschatflichen Zusammenhalt, der Sozialhilfe und der Beistandschaft für Erwachsene, 2021) || 2021

| Andrea Burgener Woeffray || PS || Construction and Services Urban Planning and Architecture and Civil Engineering, Environment and Energy (de l'édilité, des services d'urbanisme et architecture et du génie civil, environnement et énergie'des Bauwesens und der Dienste Stadtplanung und Architektur und Tiefbau, Umwelt und Energie, 2021) || 2016

| Pierre-Olivier Nobs || PCS || Local Police and Mobility and Sports (de la police locale et mobilité et des Sports'der Ortspolizei und Mobilität und des Sports, 2021) || 2016

Parliament

The General Council (, ), the city parliament, holds legislative power. It is made up of 80 members, with elections held every five years. The General Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Municipal Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of proportional representation.

The sessions of the General Council are public. Unlike members of the Municipal Council, members of the General Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Fribourg allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the General Council. Due to the constitution by canton of Fribourg not only Swiss citizen have the right to vote and elect and being elected on communal level, but also foreigners with a residence permit of type C and being resident in the canton of Fribourg for at least 5 years.

The last regular election of the General Council was held on 7 March 2021 for the mandate period (la législature) from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2026. Currently the General Council consist of 23 (-7) members of the Social Democratic Party (PS/SP), 21 (+13) Green Party (PES/GPS), 1 (-1) Christian Democratic People's Party (PDC/CVP), 8 (-2) The Liberals (PLR/FDP), 7 (+2) Centre Gauche (PCS/CSP), 6 (-2) Swiss People's Party (UDC/SVP), and one (-) for parti des artistes (PA/KP), giving the left parties a very strong absolute majority.

Elections

National Council

In the 2019 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS/SP which received 29.4% (-6.8) of the vote. The next four most popular parties were the Green Party 20.9% (+11.0), the PDC/CVP 15.5% (-7.0), the UDC/SVP 9.7% (-4.1), and the FDP/PLR 9.1% (+0.4). In the federal election, a total of 9,426 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 46.6%.

In the 2015 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS/SP which received 36.3% of the vote. The next four most popular parties were the PDC/CVP (22.5%), the UDC/SVP (13.8%), the Green Party (9.8%), and the FDP/PLR (8.7%). In the federal election, a total of 9.795 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 48.4%.

Demographics

Population

Fribourg has a population () of . In 2008, 31.9% of the population were resident foreign nationals. Between 2000 and 2010, the population increased by 8.3%. Migration accounted for 8.1%, while births and deaths accounted for 0.9%.

Fribourg is the largest city in the Canton of Fribourg. The population of Fribourg grew markedly at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as from 1930 to 1970. The maximum population of 42,000 was reached in 1974. Since then, there had been a population loss of approximately 14%.

The population of the agglomeration around Fribourg is 110,000, or, counting only the most nearby suburbs, 75,000 (2015). This includes the municipalities of Avry, Belfaux, Corminboeuf, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Matran and Villars-sur-Glâne. Surrounding municipalities include Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Villars-sur-Glâne, Marly, as well as Corminboeuf, Belfaux, Grolley, and stretches as far as Düdingen (French Guin) and Tafers (French Tavel) on the right bank of the Sarine.

The growth of the agglomeration around Fribourg has fused the city proper with the neighboring towns of Villars-sur-Glâne, Givisiez, and Granges-Paccot. The town of Klein-Schönberg, which belongs to Tafers, and the village of Uebewil, which belongs to Düdingen, are located right on the eastern edge of town. This settlement area itself has a population of 60,000 (2015).

In 2008, the population was 48.8% male and 51.2% female. The population was made up of 12,080 Swiss men (31.8% of the population) and 6,475 (17.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 13,855 Swiss women (36.4%) and 5,636 (14.8%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 10,756 or about 30.3% were born in Fribourg and lived there in 2000. There were 6,394 or 18.0% who were born in the same canton, while 7,164 or 20.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 8,981 or 25.3% were born outside of Switzerland.

There were 15,839 private households in the municipality in 2000, and an average of two people per household. In 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 5.5 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.45%.

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! colspan="12" | Historic Population Data Fribourg, the city and the canton, has two official languages, and French outweighs German as both the language of the local government and the most commonly spoken language in public discourse and business in the canton.

Fribourg has always been located on the Swiss language border, but at the time of the city's founding in the 12th century, German was the prevailing language. Although German was the official language of the city until 1800, French gradually became more influential. This was aided by industrialization, which led to an influx of French-speaking immigrants. Since the political changes of the late 18th century and early 19th century, the German-speaking population has been a minority. Even in German, the town is often called "Fribourg" instead of the Standard German "Freiburg", which helps distinguish it from Freiburg im Breisgau on the edge of the Black Forest, Germany. Another explanation is that in the local Alemannic German dialect, the city is called Frybùrg or Friburg (pronounced: [ˈfrib̥ʊrɡ]), from which the French name "Fribourg" was probably derived.

Religion

From the , 24,614 or 69.2% were Roman Catholic, while 2,763 or 7.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 443 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.25% of the population), there were 13 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 668 individuals (or about 1.88% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 62 individuals (or about 0.17% of the population) who were Jewish, and 1,676 (or about 4.71% of the population) who were Muslim. There were 161 individuals who were Buddhist, 71 individuals who were Hindu and 43 individuals who belonged to another church. 2,843 (or about 8.00% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 2,509 individuals (or about 7.06% of the population) did not answer the question.

Fribourg has more jobs than laborers, and is therefore a large commuter destination for the largely agricultural surrounding area. Local industry includes food and luxury products, drinks (the breweries are owned by the Danish firm Carlsberg), metal and machine construction, electronics, and computer technology.

The largest number of workers are active in the service industries. Many of these work in government administrative positions. Other important sectors are education (at the university), banks and insurance companies, tourism and restaurants, as well as health services. Fribourg is home to the administrative offices of several international companies. The Cantonal hospital is on the border with Villars-sur-Glâne.

, there were 16,572 workers who commuted into the municipality and 6,505 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.5 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 35% used public transportation to get to work, and 37.8% used a private car.

In Fribourg about 11,649 or (32.8%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 5,671 or (16.0%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 5,671 who completed tertiary schooling, 47.7% were Swiss men, 31.2% were Swiss women, 12.4% were non-Swiss men and 8.7% were non-Swiss women.

During the 2010–11 school year, there were a total of 14,170 students attending 974 classes in Fribourg. A total of 4,966 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 25 kindergarten classes with a total of 385 students in the municipality. The municipality had 117 primary classes and 2,037 students. During the same year, there were 117 lower secondary classes with a total of 2,313 students. There were 470 vocational upper Secondary classes and were 186 upper Secondary classes, with 4,012 upper Secondary students and 4,840 vocational upper Secondary students The municipality had 46 specialized Tertiary classes and were 13 non-university Tertiary classes, with 273 non-university Tertiary students and 310 specialized Tertiary students.

From 1897 to 1965 in Fribourg there was a long tram network in operation, with the trams replaced from 1949 with the Fribourg trolleybus system. The current bus network is now operated by the Transports publics fribourgeois, with connections to Bulle, Avenches, Schmitten, Schwarzenburg and in the tourist region Schwarzsee.

Airport

The regional Bern-Belp Airport is an hour away from the area. However, the airport only provides flights to limited European destinations. The nearest international airports are Geneva Airport, located south west, EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, located north, and Zurich Airport, located north east of Fribourg.

Culture and tourism

thumb|right|Fribourg Hôtel Ratzé

Fribourg is a day trip destination for tourists who want to visit the sights of the city. These include the historic Old City with its Gothic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas renowned for its stained glass windows designed by Józef Mehoffer, and the museums. The Natural History Museum was founded in 1873, and is now located in the natural sciences building at the university. The Museum of Art and History, located in the Ratzéhof since 1920, has exhibits on ancient and early history, sculpture and paintings, traditional tin figures, arts and crafts, as well as money and graphic collections. In the cathedral, a treasure chamber has been on display since 1992. Other museums include the Swiss Museum of Marionnettes, the Swiss Sewing Machine Museum, the Gutenberg Museum, the Bible and Orient Museum and a beer museum.

Cultural experiences include the festival of religious music, the international folklore convention, the jazz parade, an international film festival and Cinéplus (since 1972).

Like its sister city Bern, Fribourg has preserved its medieval center as a whole that is now one of the largest in Europe. It is located on a spectacular peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Saane/La Sarine. The architecture of the Old City date primarily from the Gothic period; it was built predominately before the 16th century. Most houses are built of the local molasse stone. Consisting of the neighborhoods Bourg, Auge and Neuveville, its old town is rich in fountains and churches dating from the 12th century until the 17th century. Its cathedral, reaching in height, was built between 1283 and 1490. The fortifications of Fribourg form the most important medieval military architecture of Switzerland: of ramparts, 14 towers and one big bulwark. The protections are especially well preserved east and south of the city.

Heritage sites of national significance

Fribourg is home to 67 buildings or sites that are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Religious Buildings: Cistercians Maigrauge Abbey with Library, the former Convent of the Augustinians, Former Commandry de Saint-Jean, Notre-Dame de Fribourg Basilica, Saint-Nicolas et Trésor Cathedral, Centre paroissial du Christe-Roi, Chapel de Lorette, Chapel Saint-Barthélemy and Chapel de Pérolles, Convent of the Capucins, Convent of the Cordeliers, Convent of the Ursulines, Church of Saint-Pierre, Monastère de la Visitation and Monastère of the Capucines de Montorge
Secular Buildings: Former Hôtel des Postes et Télégraphes, Centrale énergétique de la Maigrauge, Cercle de la Grande Société, Chancellerie de l’État, Poya Castle, Cure at Rue de la Lenda 1, Factory Complex of the Chocolats Villars company, Fortifications, Funiculaire Neuveville-Saint-Pierre, Hôpital of the Bourgeois, Hôtel de Ville, Immeuble de rapport Sallin, Les Arcades, Motta Swimming Pool and Vieille Village
Houses and Private Buildings: Auberge de la Cigogne, House at Rue de la Neuveville 48, House at Rue d’Or 7, House at Rue d’Or 13, House d’Alt at Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville 1, House de Castella, House de Fégely-d’Estavayer dite Vicarino, House de François-Prosper de Castella, House de Gottrau dite Les Tornalettes, House de Jean-François d’Ammann de Macconens, House de Lanthen-Heid, House de Reyff, House de Reyff de Cugy, House de Techtermann, House de Nicolas Kuenlin, House des tanneurs Reyff, House Fégely (?) dite tannerie Deillon and Villa Mayer
Schools: Collège Saint-Michel, Université Miséricorde
Archives, Libraries and Museums: Archives de l’État de Fribourg, Archives de la Ville de Fribourg, Cantonal and University Library, Grenier de Derrière-Notre-Dame et Museum Gutenberg, Musée suisse des arts graphiques, Grenier de la Planche and Hôtel Ratzé et Museum d’art et d’histoire
Fountains: Fountain de la Fidélité, Fountain de la Force, Fountain de la Samaritaine, Fountain de la Vaillance, Fountain de Sainte-Anne, Fountain de Saint-Georges, Fountain de Saint-Jean, Fountain de Samson and Jo Siffert Fountain
Bridges: Pont de Berne, Pont de Saint-Jean, Pont du Gottéron and Pont du Milieu

Sports

The most popular sport club in the town is the ice hockey club HC Fribourg-Gottéron, which plays in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 9,178-seat BCF Arena. Established in 1937, it has never won a Swiss championship, but has been runner-up five times.

Basketball is played by Fribourg Olympic, which plays its home games at the 3,500-capacity gym of the Holy Cross College. The club has been successful, winning 13 championships (1966, '71, '73, '74, '78, '79, '81, '82, '85, '91, '92, '98, '99 and 2007), six Swiss Cups (1967, '76, '78, '97, '98 and 2007) and one League Cup in 2007.

The football club FC Fribourg plays in the 2. Liga Interregional, the fifth tier of Swiss Football.

Since 1933, on the first Sunday in October, a race from Murten to Fribourg, the "Murtenlauf" (Murten Run), is held to commemorate the Battle of Murten. The race is one of the most popular fun runs in Switzerland.

Notable residents

150px|thumb|Saint Petrus Canisius, 1699

150px|thumb|Statue of Lady Justice by Hans Gieng, 1543

150px|thumb|Jean Bourgknecht

150px|thumb|Urs Schwaller, 2007

150px|thumb|Georges Aeby, 1940

; Prior to the 19th century

The de Weck family, prominent in Fribourg politics beginning in the 15th century
Hans Fries (c. 1465 – c. 1523), Swiss painter before the Reformation
Johann Augustanus Faber (c. 1470–1531), Swiss theologian
Petrus Canisius SJ (1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest, lived in Fribourg 1577–1597 and founded the Jesuit Collège Saint-Michel
Hans Gieng (first mentioned 1525 – died 1562), Swiss Renaissance sculptor best known for his public fountain figures
Jean Jacques Joseph d'Alt (1653—1714), Swiss officer and administrator
Madeleine Eggendorffer (1744–1795), Swiss bookseller, publisher and businesswoman
Jean-Baptiste Girard (1765–1850), Swiss Franciscan educator

; 19th century

Louis Agassiz (1807–1873), Swiss-American biologist and geologist
Johannes Bapst (1815–1887), Swiss Jesuit missionary, first president of Boston College
Pierre Rossier (1829–1886), pioneering Swiss photographer, used albumen photographs
Adèle d'Affry (1836–1879), Swiss artist and sculptor from a noble and military family
Jules Repond (1853–1933), Swiss lawyer and law professor, writer and journalist, politician, entrepreneur and military officer. Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard 1910–1921
Johann Jakob Hess (1866–1949), Swiss Egyptologist and Assyriologist
Wilhelm Schmidt SVD (1868–1954 in Fribourg), Austrian linguist, anthropologist and ethnologist
Oswald Pilloud (1873–1946 in Fribourg), Swiss painter and illustrator
Jean-Edouard de Castella (1881–1966 in Fribourg), Swiss painter and illustrator
Oskar Naegeli (1885–1959 in Fribourg), Swiss dermatologist and chess master
Léon Savary (1895–1968), Swiss writer and journalist, historian of the city of Fribourg

; 20th century

Jean Bourgknecht (1902–1964), Swiss politician, mayor of Fribourg 1950–1959 and member of the Swiss Federal Council 1959–1962
Jean Tinguely (1925–1991), Swiss sculptor of machines or kinetic art, in the Dada tradition
Anni-Frid Lyngstad (born 1945), singer from Swedish pop group ABBA, lives near Fribourg
Joseph Deiss (born 1946), economist and Swiss politician; member of the Swiss Federal Council 1999–2006
Arlette Zola (born 1949), singer for Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982.
Pierre Hemmer (1950–2013), Internet pioneer in Switzerland
Urs Schwaller (born 1952), Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Council of States for the Canton of Fribourg since 2003
Daniel Vasella M.D. (born 1953), physician, author and CEO of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis
Roger de Weck (born 1953), journalist and author
Juan Carlos I (born 1938), King of Spain from November 1975 until his abdication in 2014.
Jean-François Mayer (born 1957), religious historian, writer and analyst
Claude Longchamp (born 1957), Swiss historian, political scientist and analyst for Swiss TV
Thomas Baumer (born 1960), Swiss economist and expert for intercultural competence and personality assessment
Caroline Charrière (1960–2018), Swiss composer, conductor, flautist and educator
Franz Treichler (born 1961), Swiss musician, member of The Young Gods
Alexander Laszlo (born 1964), polycultural systems scientist, residing in Argentina
Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais (born 1967), corrupt Swiss-Angolan entrepreneur
Alain Berset (born 1972), politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council
René Brülhart (born 1972), Swiss lawyer, president of the board of directors of the Financial Information Authority (AIF) of Vatican City
Mia Aegerter (born 1976), Swiss musician, model, and stage and film actress
BARON.E (formed 2019), music duo formed by Faustine Pochon and Arnaud Rolle

; Sport

Paul Aeby (1910–??), Swiss footballer, played for Switzerland in the 1938 FIFA World Cup
Georges Aeby (1913–1999), footballer, played for Switzerland in the 1938 FIFA World Cup
Jo Siffert (1936–1971), Swiss F1 racing driver
René Fasel (born 1950), president of the International Ice Hockey Federation; also a dentist
Sandra Kolly (born 1974), Swiss sport shooter, competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics
David Aebischer (born 1978), National Hockey League goaltender
Yves Miéville (born 1983), Swiss football player, over 250 team games
Pascal Mancini (born 1989), Swiss 100 metres sprinter, nandrolone user and racist
Volkan Oezdemir (born 1989), mixed martial artist
Karen Gaillard (born 2001), racing driver