Charmey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charmey
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Charmey village
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 Charmey
Location in Switzerland
Charmey
Location in Canton of Fribourg
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Fribourg | |
| District | Gruyère | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 78.44 km2 (30.29 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 887 m (2,910 ft) | |
| Highest elevation | 2,389 m (7,838 ft) | |
| Lowest elevation | 800 m (2,600 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2011)
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| • Total | 1,852 | |
| • Density | 23.610/km2 (61.151/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
1637
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| Surrounded by | Bas-Intyamon, Broc, Cerniat, Château-d'Œx (VD), Crésuz, Grandvillard, Gruyères, Jaun, Plaffeien, Rougemont (VD), Saanen (BE) | |
| Twin towns | Orphin (France) | |
Charmey is a lovely village in the Fribourg area of Switzerland. It used to be its own town, called a municipality. Charmey is part of the Gruyère district. On January 1, 2014, Charmey joined with another town, Cerniat. Together, they formed a new municipality called Val-de-Charmey.
Contents
History of Charmey
Charmey was first mentioned in old writings in the year 1211. Back then, it was known by a different name, Chalmeis. Until 1760, it was called Feiguières. Some people also know Charmey by its German name, Galmis.
Geography of Charmey
Before it merged, Charmey was a large area, about 78.5 square kilometers (30.3 square miles). A big part of this land, almost 45%, was used for farming. About 36% of the area was covered by forests.
A small part, about 2%, had buildings and roads. Less than 1% was rivers or lakes. The rest, about 16%, was land that couldn't be used for farming or building. This included rocky areas or places with wild plants.
Charmey is located in the Gruyère district. It sits in the valley of the Jaun stream. It was the biggest municipality in the Fribourg area. Charmey includes the main village, six smaller villages called hamlets, and several small mountain settlements. Part of the beautiful lake Schwarzsee/Lac Noir is also in Charmey.
Charmey's Coat of Arms
A coat of arms is like a special symbol for a town or family. Charmey's coat of arms is red with a silver stripe. On top of this, there is a green pine tree. The tree grows from three black cave shapes.
People of Charmey (Demographics)
In 2011, Charmey had a population of 1,852 people. About 13% of the people living there in 2008 were from other countries. Over ten years, from 2000 to 2010, the number of people in Charmey grew by about 16.7%. Most of this growth was because new people moved in.
Most people in Charmey speak French. In 2000, about 88% of the people spoke French as their main language. The second most common language was German, spoken by about 7% of the people. A smaller number, about 1.7%, spoke Portuguese.
In 2008, about 49% of the population were boys and men, and 51% were girls and women. Many people were born in Charmey or in the same part of Switzerland. About 11% were born in other parts of Switzerland, and about 11.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
In 2000, children and teenagers (up to 19 years old) made up 26% of the population. Adults (20 to 64 years old) made up 55.3%. Older adults (over 64 years old) made up 18.7%.
Most households in Charmey had about 2.4 people on average. Some households had only one person, while others had five or more.
The chart below shows how Charmey's population has changed over many years:
Important Heritage Sites
Some buildings and places are very important to Switzerland's history and culture. They are called heritage sites. In Charmey, two alpine chalets (mountain houses) are listed as very important national heritage sites. These are the chalet at Le Lapé and the chalet at Pra de La Monse. A small Catholic chapel near Pré de l'Essert is also important, listed as a regional heritage site.
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Alpine Chalet at Le Lapé (#320)
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Alpine Chalet at Pra de La Monse (#249)
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Pré de l'Essert (#12326)
Economy and Jobs
In 2010, Charmey had a low unemployment rate of 2.4%. This means most people who wanted to work had a job. In 2008, many people worked in different types of jobs:
- Primary sector: About 92 people worked in farming, forestry, or fishing. These are jobs that get raw materials from nature.
- Secondary sector: About 240 people worked in manufacturing (making things) or construction (building things).
- Tertiary sector: About 418 people worked in services. This includes jobs like sales, transportation, hotels, restaurants, education, and healthcare.
In 2000, more people from Charmey traveled to other towns for work than people who came into Charmey to work. Most people used a private car to get to work, while a smaller number used public transportation.
Religion in Charmey
Based on information from 2000, most people in Charmey were Roman Catholic, about 83.6%. About 5.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. A small number of people belonged to other Christian churches, including Orthodox churches. There were also some people who followed Islam. About 3.8% of the population did not belong to any church.
Education in Charmey
In Charmey, many people have completed a good level of education. About 30% of the population finished high school (called upper secondary education). About 8% went on to get a higher education, like going to a university or a special college.
The school system in Fribourg, where Charmey is located, works like this:
- One year of optional Kindergarten.
- Six years of Primary school.
- Three years of required lower Secondary school. Students are grouped by their abilities.
- After that, students can choose to go to an optional upper Secondary school for three or four years. This can be a gymnasium (which prepares them for university) or a vocational program (which teaches them job skills).
- After upper Secondary, students can go to a higher education school or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).
During the 2010-2011 school year, 146 students attended 7 classes in Charmey. Many students from Charmey also went to schools in nearby towns for kindergarten, lower secondary, or higher education.
See also
In Spanish: Charmey para niños
