Grolley-Ponthaux () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the district of Sarine in the canton of

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

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 ...

. It was formed on 1 January 2025 by the merger of Grolley and Ponthaux. It had an official population of 2881 as of 31 December 2022.

Geography

Grolley-Ponthaux is located between

in the east and

Payerne Payerne (; ) is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It was the seat of the district of Payerne, and is now part of the district of Broye-Vully. The German name ''Peterlingen'' for the town is out of use. History The earliest traces of ...

in the west, on the divide between the

Broye The Broye (; ''Dictionnaire-Dikchenéro: Français-Patois/Patê-Franché''. Société cantonale des patoisans fribourgeois. Fribourg: 2013. p. 87 ) is a 68 km long river, in the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud, in Switzerland. It has a watershe ...

and Sarine watersheds. It borders the municipalities of

Belfaux Belfaux (; , locally ) is a municipality in the district of Sarine in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. Its former German name was ''Gumschen'', but this is no longer in use. History Belfaux is first mentioned in the 12th century as ''Be ...

, Belmont-Broye, Corminboeuf, Misery-Courtion, Montagny, and Prez. It has an area of .

History

Grolley became part of Fribourg's in 1442, while Ponthaux has been in Fribourg's possession since 1478, except when it was briefly attached to the

canton of Léman Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an ...

from 1798 to 1803. A vehicle park for the

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

and a wastewater treatment plant were built in Grolley in 1970, and a new primary school in 1972. The municipality of merged with Ponthaux in 1981, and Corsalettes merged with Grolley in 2000. A proposal to merge Grolley and Ponthaux narrowly failed in 2015, but a second referendum on merging the two municipalities succeeded in 2024. The merger went into effect on 1 January 2025.

Economy and infrastructure

Agricultural activities in the area include the farming of cereals, fodder crops, and livestock. While Ponthaux has retained its agricultural character, Grolley has experienced some residential development since the 1980s due to its proximity to Fribourg, and it has an industrial park. Grolley-Ponthaux is located on Swiss main road H157, which connects it to Fribourg in the east and Payerne in the west. It is served by station on the

Fribourg–Yverdon railway The Fribourg−Yverdon railway is a single-track standard-gauge line of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in Romandy. The line is sometimes considered to form one of two lines that intersect at Payerne station and are referred to in French langua ...

, on which

RER Fribourg RER Fribourg or RER Fribourg , Freiburg (, ) is an S-Bahn network in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. The network has two hubs, Bulle and Fribourg, and began operating in . History The RER Fribourg network began operation with the 11 D ...

provides regular service to and .

References

{{Municipalities of the district of Sarine Municipalities of the canton of Fribourg 2025 establishments in Switzerland Populated places established in 2025