Grandvillard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grandvillard
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Maison-des-Comtes in Grandvillard village
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 Grandvillard
Location in Switzerland
Grandvillard
Location in Canton of Fribourg
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Fribourg | |
| District | Gruyère | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 24.32 km2 (9.39 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 762 m (2,500 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 845 | |
| • Density | 34.745/km2 (89.99/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
1666
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| Surrounded by | Bas-Intyamon, Château-d'Œx (VD), Haut-Intyamon, Val-de-Charmey | |
Grandvillard is a small town, also called a municipality, located in the Gruyère district. It's part of the Fribourg canton in Switzerland. It's a beautiful place with a rich history and stunning natural surroundings.
Contents
Grandvillard's Past: A Look at History
Grandvillard was first mentioned in old records in 1228. Back then, it was simply called Vilar. Later, in 1309, it was known as Vilar retro Grueriam. By 1457, its name had changed to communitas Magni Villari retro Grueriam.
The town also had German names in the past, like Grosswiler and Langwiler. However, these names are no longer used today.
Exploring Grandvillard's Geography
Grandvillard covers an area of about 24.2 square kilometers (9.3 square miles). A large part of this land, about 47.4%, is used for farming. Forests cover another 28.5% of the area.
Around 3.9% of Grandvillard is covered by buildings and roads. Rivers and lakes make up 0.7% of the land. The remaining 19.6% is unproductive land, like rocky areas or places with sparse plants.
Most of the forests are dense, covering 23.6% of the total land. About 3.3% has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 4.2% is used for crops. Another 7.5% is pastures, and 35.6% is used for alpine pastures, which are high-mountain grazing areas. All the water in Grandvillard is flowing water, like rivers and streams.
The town is located in the Gruyère district. It sits in a beautiful valley called the Intyamon valley.
Grandvillard's Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Grandvillard is quite unique. It features a red shield with a silver X-shape, called a saltire. On top of this, there's a silver crane bird taking flight. At the very top of the shield, there's a golden five-pointed star.
Understanding Grandvillard's Population
Grandvillard has a population of around 670 people. In recent years, the population has grown by about 11.7%. Most of this growth comes from people moving into the area.
Most people in Grandvillard speak French as their main language. About 96.2% of the population speaks French. A smaller number speak German (2.0%) or Portuguese (1.0%).
In 2008, the population was almost equally split between males and females. About 49.7% were male, and 50.3% were female. Most residents are Swiss citizens.
Many people in Grandvillard were born there, about 55.4% of the population in 2000. Others were born in the same canton (27.6%) or elsewhere in Switzerland (8.9%). About 6.9% of the residents were born outside Switzerland.
Young people, aged 0 to 19, make up a good portion of the population, about 27.6%. Adults aged 20 to 64 make up 57.2%, and seniors over 64 years old are 15.2%.
Most households in Grandvillard have about 2.6 people. There are also some single-person households and some larger families with five or more people.
Population Changes Over Time
The chart below shows how Grandvillard's population has changed over many years:
Important Buildings and Heritage Sites
Grandvillard is home to several important historical buildings. These are recognized as heritage sites of national significance. They include:
- The Farm House at Route De La Grande-Charrière 32
- The House at Route de la Gare 10
- The House des Comtes at Rue Saint-Jacques 25
- The House du Banneret
- The Rangée d’habitations et ruraux (a row of homes and rural buildings)
The entire village of Grandvillard is also part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. This means the whole village is considered important for its history and culture.
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Farm House at Route De La Grande-Charrière 32
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House at Route de la Gare 10
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House des Comtes at Rue Saint-Jacques 25
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House du Banneret
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Rangée d’habitations et ruraux
Grandvillard's Economy: How People Work
In 2010, Grandvillard had a very low unemployment rate, only 1.7%. This means most people who wanted to work had jobs.
Many people work in different types of jobs:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs like farming and forestry. About 34 people worked in this area, with 12 businesses.
- Secondary sector: This involves manufacturing and construction. There were 32 people working in this sector, with 9 businesses.
- Tertiary sector: This covers services like sales, transportation, hotels, and education. About 78 people worked here, with 18 businesses.
In 2008, there were 110 full-time equivalent jobs in Grandvillard. Many jobs were in agriculture (22 jobs) and forestry (3 jobs). In the secondary sector, 10 jobs were in manufacturing and 7 in construction. The tertiary sector had 57 jobs, with many in sales and repair (25 jobs), hotels or restaurants (8 jobs), and education (5 jobs).
Many residents of Grandvillard travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 175 people commuted away from Grandvillard for their jobs, while only 40 people came into Grandvillard for work. This means more people leave the town for work than come in. Most people (62.4%) use a private car to get to work, while a smaller number (5.2%) use public transportation.
Religion in Grandvillard
According to the 2000 census, most people in Grandvillard are Roman Catholic, making up about 90.6% of the population. A smaller group, about 3.1%, belong to the Swiss Reformed Church.
There are also a few people who belong to other Christian churches. A very small number of people are Islamic or Buddhist. About 3.3% of the population said they did not belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist.
Education and Learning in Grandvillard
Education is important in Grandvillard. About 31.2% of the population has finished upper secondary education, which is like high school. A smaller group, about 6.0%, has gone on to higher education, like a university or a specialized college.
The school system in the Canton of Fribourg works like this:
- One year of non-required Kindergarten.
- Six years of Primary school.
- Three years of required lower Secondary school, where students are grouped by their abilities.
- After lower Secondary, students can choose a three or four-year optional upper Secondary school. This can be a gymnasium (which prepares students for university) or a vocational program (which teaches job skills).
- After upper Secondary, students can go to a Tertiary school or continue with an apprenticeship.
In the 2010-2011 school year, Grandvillard had 76 students in 4 classes. There was one kindergarten class with 23 students and three primary classes with 53 students. While Grandvillard didn't have its own lower or upper secondary classes, many students from the town attended these schools in nearby municipalities.
See also
In Spanish: Grandvillard para niños
