German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
) or Morat (
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, ; frp, Morât ) is a bilingual
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
It is located on the southern shores of Lake Morat (also known as Lake Murten). Morat is situated between
and Fribourg and is the capital of the See/Lac District of the canton of Fribourg. It is one of the municipalities with a majority (about 75%) of German speakers in the predominantly French-speaking Canton of Fribourg.
On 1 January 1975 the former municipality of Burg bei Murten merged into the municipality of Murten.Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz accessed 9 February 2013 It was followed on 1 January 1991 by the former municipality of
Altavilla
Altavilla is a village and former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland.
History
It was first recorded in 1340 as ''Alta villa''. It has also had the German name ''Altenfüllen'' and the French ''Hauteville' ...
and on 1 January 2013 by the former municipality of Büchslen. On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of
Courlevon
Courlevon is a former municipality in the district of See or du Lac in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. On 1 January 2016, the former municipalities of Courlevon, Jeuss, Lurtigen, and Salvenach merged into Murten/Morat.
History
Courlev ...
Lurtigen
Lurtigen (German) or Lourtens (, ) is a former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. Its French name, little-used today, is ''Lourtens''. It is one of the municipalities with a large majority of German sp ...
and
Salvenach
Salvenach (French language, French name: Salvagny; frp, Cervagné ) is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of See (district of Fribourg), See in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Fribourg (canton), Fribourg in ...
merged into Morat (Murten). On 1 January 2022 the former municipalities of
Galmiz
Galmiz (former French name: Charmey) is a former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. On 1 January 2022 the former municipalities of Galmiz, Gempenach and Clavaleyres (Canton of Bern) merged into the munic ...
Canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
) merged into the municipality of Murten.
History
The oldest archaeological traces of a settlement in the perimeter are from the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
(8200-5500 BC). The Mesolithic finds are mostly small
flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...
shards for use in weapons or tools. These flints were produced mostly in the swampy lowlands east of the city at Murten-Combette and Murten-Ober Prehl. While many of these flint objects are in museums, the exact discovery sites were not properly documented and have been lost or covered by later excavations. Several other sites were discovered during construction of the
A1 motorway
A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to:
Education
* A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
* Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects
* A1, a ...
in 1976–95. These settlements are from the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
(5500-2500 BC) and the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
(2300-800 BC). Murten Pré de la Blanc was used in the Neolithic and middle Bronze Age, while the sites Murten-Lowenberg, Murten-Ober Prehl and Chantemerle 1 are from the Late Bronze Age. The cemetery at Lowenberg was used for more than a millennium, from the middle Bronze Age to the
La Tène period
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
. The nearby necropolis holds a number of Hallstatt era graves. The remains of a large
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
villa from the end of 1st or early 2nd century BC and a piece of a Roman road have also been found.
The town's name derives from the Celtic word ''moriduno'', meaning "lakeside fortress" . It was first mentioned in 515 as a defensive place called "Muratum". In 1013, the area was fortified by King
Rudolph III of Burgundy
Rudolph III (french: Rodolphe, german: Rudolf; – 6 September 1032), called the Idle or the Pious, was the king of Burgundy from 993 until his death. He was the last ruler of an independent Kingdom of Burgundy, and the last male member of the Bu ...
. The fortifications were attacked and occupied by Odo II of Blois-Champagne in 1032 during the conflict after Rudolph's death. Odo only held Murten briefly before Emperor
Conrad II
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
besieged and destroyed the castle. In 1079 Emperor Henry IV granted Muratum and other properties to the
Bishop of Lausanne
The Bishop of Lausanne (French: ''Évêque de Lausanne'') was a Prince-Bishop of the Holy Roman Empire (since 1011) and the Ordinary of the diocese of Lausanne, Switzerland (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lausannensis'').
Bern secularized the bishopric in ...
.
Murten was founded by Duke Berchtold IVMurten/Morat tourism-History of the city accessed 15 December 2011 of Zähringen or Landri de Durnes, the Bishop of Lausanne in either 1159 or during the 1170s or 1180s next to the fortress. Murten was first mentioned as a city in 1238. After his death the German emperor Frederic II recognized Murten as a "Free Imperial Town". At that time the emperor himself lived in the south of Italy and a small town north of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
was not his concern. It did not last long – in 1255 Murten fell under the protection of Count Peter of Savoy. When
Philip I of Savoy
Philip I (1207 – 16 August 1285) was Count of Savoy from 1268 to 1285. Before this, he was Bishop of Valence (1241–1267) and Archbishop of Lyon (1245–1267).
Ecclesiastical career
Philip was born in Aiguebelle, Savoy, as the eighth and last ...
refused to give Morat to him, King Rudolph of Habsburg seized it as a royal estate. After Rudolf's death
Amadeus V of Savoy
Amadeus V (1252/1253 – 16 October 1323) was Count of Savoy from 1285 to 1323.
Biography
Amadeus was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi. Through his mother he was a grandnephew of Pope Innocent IV. Following his marriage to ...
, bought the city again in 1291, but lost it to King Albert I of Germany again. The House of Savoy bought the city and surrounding lands again in 1310 for 4,000 marks of silver. This time the city remained under Savoy control. During this time, Murten began to develop alliances and ties with the surrounding Swiss cities. In 1245 they created a treaty with Fribourg, followed in 1335 with
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
.
A fire in 1416 led to rebuilding in stone.
On 22 June 1476, Charles the Bold, Duke of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
, laid siege to the place in an action known as the Battle of Morat. The town hung on for 13 days but finally was saved by the
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
ese army. The enemy's army was destroyed completely — some 10,000 Burgundians were killed. Since then, Murten celebrates the victory every year on June 22.
From 1484 on, and for 300 years, Murten was ruled by the two cantons —
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
and Fribourg. In 1530, under pressure from Bern, Murten adopted the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, after the preacher Guillaume Farel began to preach the new faith. Murten's Protestant faith often brought the city into conflicts with the more conservative, Catholic Fribourg.
During the second half of the 17th century the city grew wealthy on trade over the road from Bern to
Vaud
Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...
Yverdon
Yverdon-les-Bains () (called Eburodunum and Ebredunum during the Roman era) is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district. The population of Yverdon-les-Bains, , was ...
. Most of the houses in the city were rebuilt with this wealth. Although Bern and Fribourg had already granted Murten permission in 1584 to form guilds, the coopers, carpenters, locksmiths and cabinet makers first formed their guilds in 1731. In the late 17th century a brickyard and a brewery were built outside of town.
Following the 1798 French invasion, under the
Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
Murten was part of the Canton of Sarine and Broye. When the Republic collapsed, the
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion ...
in 1803 gave the town to the canton of Fribourg.
Industrialization began in Murten in the early 1850s when Etienne-Ovide Domon founded a watch factory, which was later moved to Montelier . The Petitpierre family operated an
absinthe
Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historical ...
distillery between 1831 and 1901 and Oskar Roggen ran a winery from 1888 to 1913. Since 1855 Murten has had its own newspaper, the "Murtenbieter". In the 20th Century other industries settled in Murten; especially in the field of precision engineering, electronics and food. In 1973, the
Swiss Federal Railways
Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
bought Löwenberg Castle and lands from the family de Rougemont, to establish a training center.
In 1856, a plan to run the
-Bern railway line through Morat was shelved and the line was rerouted through Fribourg. The loss of revenue from transportation affected Murten for almost twenty years. This changed in 1875–76 with the construction of the Palézieux-Murten-Lyss railway line. This first line was followed in 1898 with the Fribourg-Murten line and in 1903 with the Murten-Ins line, known collectively as the Fribourg–Ins railway. Steamship service between Murten and Neuchâtel began in 1835. The Bon Vouloir Hospital, opened in 1867 in Meyriez and by the 1920s it became the district hospital. The tourism industry, began with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Battle of Morat in 1876.
Geography
Morat has an area of . Before the mergers expanded the municipal borders, or 51.4% was used for agricultural purposes, while or 26.2% were forested. Of the rest of the land, or 21.6% were settled (buildings or roads), or 0.2% were either rivers or lakes and or 0.2% was unproductive land.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics 2009 data accessed 25 March 2010
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 9.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 9.1%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.2%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 40.4% is used for growing crops and 9.5% is pastures, while 1.4% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The small medieval town lies in the Swiss "Midlands" on the edge of the Great Marsh, on a gentle hill ( above sea level) and on the shore of Lake Morat (or the ''Murtensee'' in German). Numerous attractions from a significant past have been well preserved here, such as the castle, the ring wall, the street scene and the arcades. Lake Morat is a smaller lake located in between Lake Biel and the lake Neuchâtel.
Mont Vully
Mont Vully (653 m; in German also known as ''Wistenlacherberg''''MontVully'' hls-dhs-dss.ch) is a stands on the western side of the Seeland's largest plain and resembles a pearl gently placed among the three lakes of Murten, Neuchâtel and Biel/Bienne. Already long ago, the Celtic and Helvetic tribes appreciated the region's temperate climate and the local countryside's particular charm. Today, the Vully vineyards take up a large part of the south face of Mont Vully. The over 100 hectares of vineyards are facing towards Lake Morat.
Morat is also famous in history for the defeat of Charles the Bold by the Swiss in 1476. The former fortified city has kept most of its ramparts and towers.
Coat of arms
The
blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
of the municipal
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
is ''Argent a Lion rampant Gules crowned and armed Or on Coupeaux Vert.''
Demographics
Morat has a population () of . , 19.3% of the population are resident foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Superweb database - Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008 accessed 19 June 2010 Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 11%. Migration accounted for 9.1%, while births and deaths accounted for 2.5%. accessed 14-December-2011
Most of the population () speaks
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(4,269 or 76.5%) as their first language,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
is the second most common (716 or 12.8%) and Italian is the third (108 or 1.9%). There are 5 people who speak Romansh.
, the population was 47.8% male and 52.2% female. The population was made up of 2,301 Swiss men (38.2% of the population) and 578 (9.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,571 Swiss women (42.7%) and 578 (9.6%) non-Swiss women.Canton of Fribourg Statistics accessed 3 November 2011 Of the population in the municipality, 1,315 or about 23.6% were born in Murten and lived there in 2000. There were 881 or 15.8% who were born in the same canton, while 2,088 or 37.4% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 1,109 or 19.9% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.7%.
, there were 2,256 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 2,638 married individuals, 346 widows or widowers and 338 individuals who are divorced.STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000 accessed 2 February 2011
, there were 2,394 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. There were 801 households that consist of only one person and 143 households with five or more people. , a total of 2,349 apartments (89.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 232 apartments (8.8%) were seasonally occupied and 50 apartments (1.9%) were empty.Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Datenwürfel für Thema 09.2 - Gebäude und Wohnungen accessed 28 January 2011 , the construction rate of new housing units was 1.3 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.24%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8)
ImageSize = width:1020 height:210
PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:5700
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1100 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:220 start:0
PlotData=
color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center
bar:1811 from:start till:374 text:"374"
bar:1850 from:start till:2137 text:"2,137"
bar:1860 from:start till:2639 text:"2,639"
bar:1870 from:start till:2689 text:"2,689"
bar:1880 from:start till:2601 text:"2,601"
bar:1888 from:start till:2737 text:"2,737"
bar:1900 from:start till:2645 text:"2,645"
bar:1910 from:start till:2418 text:"2,418"
bar:1920 from:start till:2530 text:"2,530"
bar:1930 from:start till:2570 text:"2,570"
bar:1941 from:start till:2736 text:"2,736"
bar:1950 from:start till:3106 text:"3,106"
bar:1960 from:start till:3610 text:"3,610"
bar:1970 from:start till:4512 text:"4,512"
bar:1980 from:start till:4657 text:"4,657"
bar:1990 from:start till:4718 text:"4,718"
bar:2000 from:start till:5578 text:"5,578"
bar:2004 from:start till:5651 text:"5,651"
Heritage sites of national significance
The farm house at Erli 2, Murten's city walls, the ''Grosshaus'' at Hauptgasse 43, the
Rathaus
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.
Sites of national importance
Types
The types are based on t ...
.
File:Farm_Erli_2_Murten_Aug_2011.jpg, Farm House at Erli 2
File:Murten die Stadtmauer.jpg, City Walls
File:Murten Altstadt.jpg, View over the compact old city
File:Hauptgasse_43_Murten_Aug_2011.jpg, Grosshaus at Hauptgasse 43
File:Murten Rathaus.JPG,
Rathaus
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
(Town council house)
File:Löwenberg_Castle_Apr_2011.jpg, Löwenberg Castle
File:Old School Salvenach Jul 2011.jpg, Old school house building
World heritage site
An area of the prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlement at Segelboothafen is part of the
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are a series of prehistoric pile dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from about 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. In 2011, 111 sites located various ...
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
period. Some of the piles were
dendrochronological
Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
ly dated to the late
Cortaillod
Cortaillod is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
The Neolithic Cortaillod culture was named after Cortaillod, where four Neolithic villages have been discovered.
History
Cortaillod is first mentioned in 1311 as ''Corta ...
Middle Neolithic around 3552 BC and the Final Neolithic around 2534 BC. The site was first excavated in 1883-84 by Süsstruck. Later excavations found one or two strata that are up to thick and a field of wooden piles. Archeological finds included pottery, stone tools, wooden objects and animal bones.
SPS
SPS may refer to:
Law and government
* Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the WTO
* NATO Science for Peace and Security
* Single Payment Scheme, an EU agricultural subsidy
* The Standard Procurement System, fo ...
which received 22.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (20.1%), the SVP (19.7%) and the Green Liberal Party (9.1%).Canton of Fribourg National Council Election of 23 October 2011 Statistics accessed 3 November 2011
The SPS improved their position in Murten rising to first, from third in 2007 (with 21.6%) The FDP retained about the same popularity (24.0% in 2007), the SVP moved from first in 2007 (with 24.1%) to third and the Grünliberale moved from below fourth place in 2007 to fourth. A total of 2,145 votes were cast in this election, of which 27 or 1.3% were invalid.
Economy
, Murten had an unemployment rate of 3.1%. , there were 105 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 25 businesses involved in this sector. 1,374 people were employed in the
secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...
and there were 71 businesses in this sector. 2,263 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 364 businesses in this sector. There were 2,977 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 44.6% of the workforce.
the total number of
full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent (FTE), or whole time equivalent (WTE), is a unit that indicates the workload of an employee, employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often used to me ...
jobs was 3,121. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 62, of which 50 were in agriculture and 12 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 1,295 of which 983 or (75.9%) were in manufacturing and 218 (16.8%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 1,764. In the tertiary sector; 561 or 31.8% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 69 or 3.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 237 or 13.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 32 or 1.8% were in the information industry, 99 or 5.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 235 or 13.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 103 or 5.8% were in education and 163 or 9.2% were in health care.
, there were 2,235 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,649 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.4 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 11.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 53% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,675 or 30.0% were
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, while 2,661 or 47.7% belonged to the
Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 96 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.72% of the population), there were 3 individuals (or about 0.05% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 338 individuals (or about 6.06% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who were
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and 281 (or about 5.04% of the population) who were
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic. There were 7 individuals who were
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, 5 individuals who were
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and 4 individuals who belonged to another church. 448 (or about 8.03% of the population) belonged to no church, are
agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
or
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, and 222 individuals (or about 3.98% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Murten/Morat has an average of 126.2 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives of
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
. The wettest month is June during which time Murten receives an average of of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 13.3, but with only of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 10 days., the Murten weather station elevation is 433 meters above sea level.
Education
About 2,116 or (37.9%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 807 or (14.5%) have completed additional higher education (either
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
or a ''
Fachhochschule
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
''). Of the 807 who completed tertiary schooling, 63.8% were Swiss men, 22.9% were Swiss women, 9.0% were non-Swiss men and 4.2% were non-Swiss women.
The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
, followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend a three or four year optional upper Secondary school. The upper Secondary school is divided into gymnasium (university preparatory) and vocational programs. After they finish the upper Secondary program, students may choose to attend a Tertiary school or continue their
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...
.
During the 2010–11 school year, there were a total of 1,402 students attending 73 classes. A total of 972 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 9 kindergarten classes with a total of 178 students in the municipality. The municipality had 29 primary classes and 601 students. During the same year, there were 34 lower secondary classes with a total of 623 students. There were no upper Secondary classes or vocational classes, but there were 96 upper Secondary students and 97 upper Secondary vocational students who attended classes in another municipality. The municipality had no non-university Tertiary classes, but there were 2 non-university Tertiary students and 17 specialized Tertiary students who attended classes in another municipality.
, there were 514 students in Morat who came from another municipality, while 211 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Transportation
The municipality has two railway stations: and . Both stations are located on the Fribourg–Ins and Palézieux–Lyss lines, with regular service to , , , , , and .
Notable people
*
Jeremias Gotthelf
Albert Bitzius (4 October 179722 October 1854) was a Swiss novelist; best known by his pen name of Jeremias Gotthelf.
Biography
Bitzius was born at Murten, where his father was pastor. The Bitzius family had once belonged to the Bernese patrici ...
(1797 in Murten – 1854) aka ''Albert Bitzius'', a Swiss novelist.
*
Gaston Mullegg
Gaston Mullegg (24 August 1890 – 3 August 1958), also known as Mühlegg, was a Swiss sports official. He was the president of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA), the International Rowing Federation, from 1949 or 1950 ( ...
(1890 in Murten – 1958) president of the
International Rowing Federation
World Rowing, also known as the World Rowing Federation (former abbreviation FISA; french: Fédération internationale des sociétés d'aviron), is the international governing body for rowing. Its current president is Jean-Christophe Rolland who ...
from 1949
*
Teddy Stauffer
Ernst Heinrich "Teddy" Stauffer (2 May 1909 – 27 August 1991) was a Swiss bandleader, musician, actor, nightclub owner, and restaurateur. He was dubbed Germany's " swing-king" of the 1930s. He formed the band known as the Teddies (also known as ...
(1909 in Murten – 1991) a Swiss bandleader, musician, actor, nightclub owner and restaurateur IMDb Database retrieved 06 March 2019
*
Nuno Reis
Nuno Miguel Pereira Reis (born 31 January 1991) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays mainly as a centre-back but also as a defensive midfielder for Australian club Melbourne City FC.
Formed at Sporting, where he was only a reserve ...
(born 1991 in Murten) a Portuguese professional footballer