The Moléson, iconic mountain
Proudly dominating the Gruyère region, Moléson is the emblematic summit of the Fribourg Pre-Alps. It rises to an altitude of 2,002 metres. Its name, of uncertain origin, intrigues linguists: it could derive from a Gaulish word meaning “larch”, from an old French term denoting a “wet meadow”, or even from the Latin Mola Summum, literally “summit of a hill”. The steep walls of this limestone colossus bear witness to millennia of geological folding, which today delights climbers on its two famous via ferratas.
The tourist interest in Moléson dates back to the 18th century. European elites, inspired by the poem Die Alpen (1729) by Albrecht von Haller and by La Nouvelle Héloïse (1761) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), began to explore these grand landscapes, sparking a passion for the Alps. The summit gained its noble status. The elder Sirice Bridel (1757-1845) exalted it in his writings as a sacred mountain; Johann Gottfried Ebel (1764-1830), in his famous Handbook for Travellers in Switzerland, compared it to the Rigi for the splendor of its panorama! Early on, artists celebrated this “balcony of the world”, from which one can behold a 360° horizon stretching from Mont-Blanc to Lake Geneva on clear days. The must is to witness the sunrise at the summit of Moléson, a two-day expedition starting from Bulle, with a stop at the monastery of Part-Dieu or at Gros Plané. Much more than just a peak, Moléson became an identity symbol, akin to the Armailli, the Bredzon, the “Ranz des vaches” or the folk song “À Moléson”.
In the 19th century, the first hotel and railway projects encountered resistance from the “Heimatschutz” movement, concerned with preserving the authenticity of the site. It was only after the Second World War that modern tourism took root: the cable car and ski lifts came into being in the 1960s. The attempt to develop a tourist station was fraught with obstacles. It wasn’t until 1980 that the holiday village was constructed, modelled after the resorts in Valais. Today, the station has transformed into a “four seasons” leisure centre, offering a summer toboggan run and the “devalkart”, and integrating the observation of the celestial vault through the highest astronomical observatory in the canton.
It is on these green slopes, at an altitude of 1,480 metres, that Gros Plané, a typical alpine pasture, nestles. Every summer, the Armaillis would go up there to produce Gruyère. Today, this centuries-old know-how is perpetuated as Gruyère d’Alpage AOP, Vacherin fribourgeois d’Alpage AOP and sérac are still made from the milk of the herd that spends the summer there. Built in the early 19th century, the Gros Plané chalet is also one of the oldest mountain taverns in the canton of Fribourg. Destroyed by fire in 1921, it was completely rebuilt the following year. Hikers and visitors enjoy regional specialties there, whether it be Jambon de la borne AOP, fondues or other cheese dishes, such as chalet macaroni.
Accessible on foot from Plan-Francey or Moléson-sur-Gruyères, the site is an ideal stop for mountain lovers and hikers. It also served, along with the Charterhouse of Part-Dieu, as a base camp for hikers in search of a romantic sunrise.
La Gruyère Tourisme
Centre commercial Velâdzo (rez inférieur)
Place de la Gare 3
1630 Bulle
