An enchanting village in the Haute-Gruyère, it preserves a heritage of prosperity and mountain traditions. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, pastoral activity and cheese production brought wealth, still visible today in the stone facades of its houses.

An example of this splendour is the house of Pierre de la Tinaz, a cheese and banneret merchant, which stands at the edge of the forest, emblematic of the wealth of yesteryear. Grandvillard’s origins go back a long way, when it was formed as a mountain settlement at the beginning of the millennium. According to legends, the first communities lived scattered in the alpine pastures above the valley. The very name of the village, which recalls the Roman ‘villae’ of the 1st century AD, suggests that its history began with Roman colonisation. During the 12th century, as the population increased, the village developed at the foot of the mountain, near the Taouna stream. Grandvillard was deeply influenced by Christian civilisation. It became one of the religious centres of Haute-Gruyère in 1228, and its sacred space moved from the Daudaz hill to the centre of the village, where two churches were built in 1490 and 1594. In addition to its religious heritage, the landscape bears witness to a vibrant economy: old granaries, mills and tanneries tell of a frenetic activity that has now disappeared. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of Grandvillard’s inhabitants were forced to emigrate, but the village also left its mark thanks to illustrious personalities such as Jacques Delatinaz, a literary man who emigrated to Paris and prolific author; Pierre Musy, Councillor of State and Prefect of La Gruyère; and Jean-Marie Musy, Federal Councillor and twice President of the Confederation. Today, Grandvillard is a place that invites you to explore the past through the beauty of its landscape and traditions, a harmonious synthesis of culture, history and nature.