Riaz
Encyclopedia
Riaz is a municipality
in the district of Gruyère
in the canton
of Fribourg in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 7.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.3%. Out of the forested land, 23.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 16.2% is used for growing crops and 35.1% is pastures and 10.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Gruyère district and neighbors the district capital of Bulle
. The village of Riaz is located along the Bulle-Fribourg
road.
Most of the population speaks French
(1,520 or 92.2%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (55 or 3.3%) and Portuguese
is the third (16 or 1.0%). There are 8 people who speak Italian
and 2 people who speak Romansh.
, the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The population was made up of 879 Swiss men (41.9% of the population) and 153 (7.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 928 Swiss women (44.3%) and 137 (6.5%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 378 or about 22.9% were born in Riaz and lived there in 2000. There were 807 or 49.0% who were born in the same canton, while 200 or 12.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 212 or 12.9% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 26.9% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 10.6%.
, there were 721 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 778 married individuals, 78 widows or widowers and 71 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 637 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 167 households that consist of only one person and 61 households with five or more people. , a total of 622 apartments (89.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 57 apartments (8.2%) were seasonally occupied and 14 apartments (2.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 17.9 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.11%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
.
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 25.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(25.6%), the FDP
(18.6%) and the CVP
(17.0%).
The SVP received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the 2007 Federal election
(25.3% in 2007 vs 25.6% in 2011). The SPS moved from third in 2007 (with 21.5%) to second in 2011, the FDP moved from fourth in 2007 (with 17.5%) to third and the CVP moved from second in 2007 (with 24.8%) to fourth. A total of 684 votes were cast in this election, of which 12 or 1.8% were invalid.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 756. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 27, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 128 of which 32 or (25.0%) were in manufacturing and 90 (70.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 601. In the tertiary sector; 41 or 6.8% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 47 or 7.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 11 or 1.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 0.3% were in the information industry, 13 or 2.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 16 or 2.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 35 or 5.8% were in education and 402 or 66.9% were in health care.
, there were 376 workers who commuted into the municipality and 682 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 6% used public transportation to get to work, and 77.7% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 15 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.91% of the population), there was 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 4 individuals (or about 0.24% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 37 (or about 2.25% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Hindu
. 88 (or about 5.34% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 49 individuals (or about 2.97% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 200 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.5% were Swiss men, 19.5% were Swiss women, 8.0% were non-Swiss men and 7.0% were non-Swiss women.
The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
, 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
.
During the 2010-11 school year, there were a total of 230 students attending 16 classes in Riaz. A total of 415 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 3 kindergarten classes with a total of 49 students in the municipality. The municipality had 8 primary classes and 156 students. During the same year, there were no lower secondary classes in the municipality, but 79 students attended lower secondary school in a neighboring municipality. There were no upper Secondary classes or vocational classes, but there were 38 upper Secondary students and 86 upper Secondary vocational students who attended classes in another municipality. The municipality had 5 special Tertiary classes, with 25 specialized Tertiary students.
, there were 21 students in Riaz who came from another municipality, while 152 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Gruyère
Gruyère (district)
Gruyère District is a district of the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is Bulle.-Municipalities:-Mergers and name changes:...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Fribourg in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Riaz is first mentioned in 900 as Villa Roda. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Zum Rad, however, that name is no longer used.Geography
Riaz has an area, , of 7.8 square kilometre. Of this area, 4.82 square kilometre or 62.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2 square kilometre or 25.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.95 square kilometre or 12.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 7.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.3%. Out of the forested land, 23.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 16.2% is used for growing crops and 35.1% is pastures and 10.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Gruyère district and neighbors the district capital of Bulle
Bulle
Bulle is a municipality in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. In January 2006 Bulle incorporated the formerly independent municipality of La Tour-de-Trême.-History:...
. The village of Riaz is located along the Bulle-Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
road.
Demographics
Riaz has a population of . , 12.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 29.1%. Migration accounted for 25.3%, while births and deaths accounted for 7.9%.Most of the population speaks French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(1,520 or 92.2%) as their first language, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
is the second most common (55 or 3.3%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is the third (16 or 1.0%). There are 8 people who speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and 2 people who speak Romansh.
, the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The population was made up of 879 Swiss men (41.9% of the population) and 153 (7.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 928 Swiss women (44.3%) and 137 (6.5%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 378 or about 22.9% were born in Riaz and lived there in 2000. There were 807 or 49.0% who were born in the same canton, while 200 or 12.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 212 or 12.9% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 26.9% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 10.6%.
, there were 721 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 778 married individuals, 78 widows or widowers and 71 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 637 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 167 households that consist of only one person and 61 households with five or more people. , a total of 622 apartments (89.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 57 apartments (8.2%) were seasonally occupied and 14 apartments (2.0%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 17.9 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.11%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The Gallo-Roman villa at L’Etrey and the Paysanne House are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
Politics
In the 2011 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2011
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 23 October 2011.All of the Federal Assembly were to be elected: all 200 seats in the National Council and all 46 seats in the Council of States....
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 25.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(25.6%), the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(18.6%) and the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(17.0%).
The SVP received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the 2007 Federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
(25.3% in 2007 vs 25.6% in 2011). The SPS moved from third in 2007 (with 21.5%) to second in 2011, the FDP moved from fourth in 2007 (with 17.5%) to third and the CVP moved from second in 2007 (with 24.8%) to fourth. A total of 684 votes were cast in this election, of which 12 or 1.8% were invalid.
Economy
, Riaz had an unemployment rate of 3.1%. , there were 36 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 132 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 16 businesses in this sector. 747 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 49 businesses in this sector. There were 877 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.8% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 756. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 27, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 128 of which 32 or (25.0%) were in manufacturing and 90 (70.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 601. In the tertiary sector; 41 or 6.8% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 47 or 7.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 11 or 1.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 0.3% were in the information industry, 13 or 2.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 16 or 2.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 35 or 5.8% were in education and 402 or 66.9% were in health care.
, there were 376 workers who commuted into the municipality and 682 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 6% used public transportation to get to work, and 77.7% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,382 or 83.9% were Roman Catholic, while 72 or 4.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 15 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 0.91% of the population), there was 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic Church
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
, and there were 4 individuals (or about 0.24% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 37 (or about 2.25% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. 88 (or about 5.34% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 49 individuals (or about 2.97% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Riaz about 576 or (35.0%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 200 or (12.1%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 200 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.5% were Swiss men, 19.5% were Swiss women, 8.0% were non-Swiss men and 7.0% were non-Swiss women.
The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, 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
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(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
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
.
During the 2010-11 school year, there were a total of 230 students attending 16 classes in Riaz. A total of 415 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 3 kindergarten classes with a total of 49 students in the municipality. The municipality had 8 primary classes and 156 students. During the same year, there were no lower secondary classes in the municipality, but 79 students attended lower secondary school in a neighboring municipality. There were no upper Secondary classes or vocational classes, but there were 38 upper Secondary students and 86 upper Secondary vocational students who attended classes in another municipality. The municipality had 5 special Tertiary classes, with 25 specialized Tertiary students.
, there were 21 students in Riaz who came from another municipality, while 152 residents attended schools outside the municipality.