See or Lac District (, ) is one of the seven districts of the

canton of Fribourg The canton of Fribourg, also canton of Freiburg, is located in western Switzerland. The canton is bilingual, with French spoken by more than two thirds of the citizens and German by a little more than a quarter. Both are official languages in th ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Lying to the north of the canton, the district is bilingual (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

). Its territory

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

s the two

Bernese Bernese is the adjectival form for the canton of Bern or for Bern. Bernese may also refer to: * Bernese German, a Swiss German dialect of Alemannic origin generally spoken in the canton of Bern and its capital, and in some neighbouring regions * ...

municipalities of

Münchenwiler Münchenwiler () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Bern-Mittelland (administrative district), Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. History Mün ...

and

Clavaleyres Clavaleyres was a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Bern-Mittelland (administrative district), Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Bern, Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2022 ...

, while its own village of Wallenbuch (now part of Gurmels) is an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

within Bern. It has a population of (as of ).

Municipalities

See/Lac consists of the following seventeen municipalities:

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 an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

of the district

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is ''Argent, a Lion rampant Gules crowned and armed Or on Coupeaux Vert.''

Demographics

See/Lac has a population () of .. Two thirds of the population () speak

(67.1%) as their first language,

is the second most common (24.9%), there are (1.1%) who speak

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and (0.1%) who speak Romansh. , the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The population was made up of 13,164 Swiss men (40.6% of the population) and 3,028 (9.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 13,623 Swiss women (42.0%) and 2,613 (8.1%) non-Swiss women.Canton of Fribourg Statistics
accessed 3 November 2011 Of the population in the district, 12,800 or about 28.6% were born in See and lived there in 2000. There were 8,936 or 20.0% who were born in the same canton, while 13,299 or 29.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 8,415 or 18.8% were born outside of Switzerland. , there were 19,076 people who were single and never married in the district. There were 21,312 married individuals, 2,098 widows or widowers and 2,203 individuals who are divorced.STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 - 2000
accessed 2 February 2011 There were 5,569 households that consist of only one person and 1,466 households with five or more people. The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:960 height:210 PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:45000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:9000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1800 start:0 PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from:start till:12797 text:"12,797" bar:1860 from:start till:13280 text:"13,280" bar:1870 from:start till:13578 text:"13,578" bar:1880 from:start till:13778 text:"13,778" bar:1888 from:start till:13989 text:"13,989" bar:1900 from:start till:14700 text:"14,700" bar:1910 from:start till:15837 text:"15,837" bar:1920 from:start till:16554 text:"16,554" bar:1930 from:start till:18065 text:"18,065" bar:1941 from:start till:18794 text:"18,794" bar:1950 from:start till:20709 text:"20,709" bar:1960 from:start till:25434 text:"25,434" bar:1970 from:start till:32239 text:"32,239" bar:1980 from:start till:35208 text:"35,208" bar:1990 from:start till:41037 text:"41,037" bar:2000 from:start till:44689 text:"44,689"

Mergers and name changes

* On 15 February 1974 the former municipality of Coussiberlé merged into Courlevon. * On 1 January 1975 the former municipality of Burg bei Murten merged into Murten/Morat. * On 24 May 1977 the municipality of Vully-le-Haut changed its name to Haut-Vully, and Vully-le-Bas changed its name to Bas-Vully. * On 1 January 1978 the former municipalities of Grossgurmels and Monterschu merged to form the new municipality of Gurmels. On 1 January 1978 Grossguschelmuth and Kleinguschelmuth merged to form the new municipality of Guschelmuth (Courchelmont-Le-Grand). * On 1 January 1983 the former municipality of Chandossel merged into Villarepos. * On 1 January 1991 the former municipality of Altavilla merged into Murten/Morat. * On 1 January 1997 the former municipalities of Courtion, Cormérod, Cournillens, and Misery merged to form the new municipality of Misery-Courtion. * On 1 January 2000 the former municipalities of Corsalettes merged into Grolley, and the former municipality of Kleingurmels merged into Gurmels (Cormondes). * On 1 January 2003 the former municipalities of Wallenbuch, Liebistorf, and Guschelmuth merged into Gurmels, and the former municipality of Courtaman merged into Courtepin. * On 1 January 2005 the former municipality of Cordast merged into Gurmels. * On 1 January 2006 the former municipality of Agriswil merged into Ried bei Kerzers.
accessed 4 April 2011 * On 1 January 2013 the former municipality of

Büchslen Büchslen () 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 Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipality ...

merged into the municipality of Murten/Morat.Nomenklaturen – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
accessed 9 February 2013 * On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of

Bas-Vully Bas-Vully () is a former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of Bas-Vully and Haut-Vully merged to form Mont-Vully. History Bas-Vully is first mentioned in ...

and

Haut-Vully Haut-Vully () is a former municipality in the district of See/Lac in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. Until 1977, it was officially known as ''Vully-Le-Haut''. Its German name of Oberwistenlach is now little used. On 1 January 2016 the fo ...

merged into the new municipality of

Mont-Vully Mont-Vully (; ) is a municipality in the district of See in the Canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 2016 when the former municipalities of Bas-Vully and Haut-Vully merged. History Haut-Vully is first mentioned around 9 ...

. 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 Courl ...

Jeuss Jeuss (; French: Jentes ; ) 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. Histor ...

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 s ...

, and

Salvenach Salvenach ( French name: Salvagny; ) is a former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It was one of the municipalities with a large majority of German speakers in the mostly French speaking Canton of Fr ...

merged into the municipality of Murten/Morat. * On 1 January 2017 the former municipalities of

Wallenried Wallenried ( French name: Esserts; ) is a former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It was one of the municipalities with a large minority of German speakers in a French speaking region. Geography Wal ...

, Barberêche, and

Villarepos Villarepos ( ; ) is a former municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. In 2017 the former municipalities of Villarepos, Barberêche and Wallenried merged into the municipality of Courtepin. History Villare ...

merged into the municipality of

Courtepin Courtepin (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of See (district of Fribourg), See in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Fribourg (canton), Fribourg in Switzerland. On 1 January 2017 Barberêche, Villarepos and W ...

. * 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 mun ...

Gempenach Gempenach (former French name: Champagny; ) 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 in ...

and

(

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

) merged into the municipality of Murten/Morat.

Politics

In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 24.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (19.7%), the FDP (15.1%) and the CVP (14.2%).Canton of Fribourg National Council Election of 23 October 2011 Statistics
accessed 3 November 2011 The SVP received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the 2007 Federal election (28.4% in 2007 vs 24.4% in 2011). The SPS moved from third in 2007 (with 17.9%) to second in 2011, the FDP moved from second in 2007 (with 18.8%) to third and the CVP retained about the same popularity (16.4% in 2007). A total of 10,869 votes were cast in this election, of which 138 or 1.3% were invalid.

Religion

From the , 26,439 or 59.2% were

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, while 9,847 or 22.0% belonged to the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...

. Of the rest of the population, there were 920 members of an Orthodox church (or about 2.06% of the population), there were 23 individuals (or about 0.05% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 1,477 individuals (or about 3.31% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 15 individuals (or about 0.03% of the population) who were

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 1,936 (or about 4.33% of the population) who were

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic. There were 311 individuals who were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 161 individuals who were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and 30 individuals who belonged to another church. 2,986 (or about 6.68% of the population) belonged to no church, are

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

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 1,260 individuals (or about 2.82% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education

In See about 16,916 or (37.9%) of the population have completed non-mandatory

upper secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

, and 5,390 or (12.1%) have completed additional higher education (either

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

or a ''

Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...

''). Of the 5,390 who completed tertiary schooling, 67.6% were Swiss men, 18.9% were Swiss women, 8.7% were non-Swiss men and 4.9% 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 cen ...

, 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

collège In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

(university preparatory) and vocational programmes. After they finish the upper Secondary programme, students may choose to attend a Tertiary school or continue their

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...

.Chart of the education system in Canton Fribourg
During the 2010–11 school year, there were a total of 4,148 students attending 222 classes in See. A total of 5,462 students from the district attended any school, either in the district or outside of it. There were 34 kindergarten classes with a total of 655 students in the district. The district had 116 primary classes and 2,299 students. During the same year, there were 63 lower secondary classes with a total of 1,114 students. There were 2 upper Secondary classes, with 35 upper Secondary students. The district had 4 special Tertiary classes, with 45 specialized Tertiary students.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:See/Lac (District) Districts of the canton of Fribourg