Welcome
on the English part of the
Web site of the "Club
du Tramway de Fribourg ".
Only a small part of the original
site was translated. Numerous
articles telling the past
and the present of the public
transports of Fribourg are
available on the French part.
Our Club in Six Points: Where, who,
when, why, what, how?
(some of the
photographs can be enlarged
by clicking on them)
Where ?
Fribourg is a small town situated
on the Swiss plateau, on the
linguistic frontier. Consequently
many of its inhabitants are
bilingual (French and German).
„Grand-Fribourg“,
including some neighbouring
villages, numbers more than
60’000 inhabitants,
with 36’000 living in
the commune of Fribourg.
Built in 1157 within a winding of the river Sarine,
Fribourg has a rugged topography,
varying between 540 and 720
meters above sea level. For
a long time in the past, the
town was protected by its
imposingly high cliffs, which
served as a natural fortification.
In no way has this inhibited
the industrial development;
Fribourg became famous for
its products in many European
countries.
(see also
the [Internet
website of Fribourg])
Panoramic view
of Fribourg, seen
from Lorette chapel.
Click [here]
to enlarge (92
KB), or click
within the picture
to see details
(photo TP/13.8.2000)
A tramway network was operated between 1897 and
1965, reaching a maximum extent
of 6,5 km in 1936, with
a maximum incline of 10 %.
(see also [summary
of the history of Fribourg’s
tramways])
Who
?
Our committee
: Roland Gaümann,
Helmut Eichhorn,
Thierry Portmann,
Eric Baeriswyl
et Christophe
Eugster
The „Club
du Tramway de Fribourg“
(CTF) was founded
in 1989, 25 years
after the disappearance of
trams in this town. At the
moment, the CTF numbers 55
members, many of
them living outside our region:
in fact, we have a considerable
number of supporters in other
areas of Switzerland and even
abroad!
When
?
Dismantling the
last remaining
section of tram
rails at Rue de
Lausanne in 1990
The idea of
founding a tram club in Fribourg
emerged little more than 10
years ago, when the last tramway
rails, abandoned 25 years
earlier, were being dismantled.
These rails, which had been
covered with asphalt, reappeared
when part of the city centre
was converted into a pedestrian
zone.
why ?
Demolition of
Halle Ritter,
former GFM-TF
depot
The public transport
heritage is an integrant part
of a town’s history;
as one of our fellow associations
states it: „Every
witness of the past must find
its own place within our cultural
heritage“.
The absence of a working tramway network in our
town has been our main handicap
in finding acceptance among
the population and in communicating
the purpose of such an association
in Fribourg.
On the other
hand, this may well be an
advantage. After perceiving
that it was high time to save
whatever could be saved, the
founder members of our club
wanted to show to Fribourg’s
population what our ancestors’
public transport looked like.
The last surviving
evidence of Fribourg’s
tramway era: the
„Dépôt
du Bourg“
has been renovated
and converted
into a museum
dedicated to two
of Fribourg’s
artists.
In fact, there are still numerous traces of Fribourg’s
trams :
nearly
50% of the formerly 13
vehicles are still existing,
one
of the oldest depots,
the Dépôt
du Bourg, built in the
early 20th century, has
survived as an automobile
garage and has lately
been converted into a
museum (after its renovation
it has been adapted to
shelter the „Espace
Tinguely“),
a considerable number
of objects, documents
and photographs were and
probably still are slumbering
in cellars or attics.
Never
again must this
happen: tramcar
No 6 (1900), kept
under shelter
for 10 years,
exhibited by the
side of a motorway
for 10 years,
kept in a depot
for another 10
years, and then
demolished .....
in 1996, on the
eve of TF’s
100th anniversary !
Thus
it is vital to ensure the
preservation of this heritage
before it is too late. It
was with this purpose that
the Club du Tramway de Fribourg
was founded.
What
?
1993: Recovering
tramcar No 10
We are
principally interested in
everything to do with public
transport and likely to become
part of Fribourg’s heritage.
While some activities
are undertaken directly by
our Club (e.g. recovery and
subsequent renovation of tram
No 10, publication of texts
and photographs), others can
only be encouraged or suggested
to a third party (e.g. to
ensure that interesting old
vehicles are maintained in
working order).
Modern technology:
a visit to Strasbourg
in August 1998
Our interest does not exclusively focus on the heritage
of our own region. We are
interested in all the means
of public transport of our
area as well as elsewhere,
and we also keep in touch
with new developments and
new technology in public transport.
How
?
July 1991: Introducing
our Club to the
public in the
streets
To fulfil our
mission we need adequate
human and financial resources.
As regards the former, we
are constantly trying to recruit
new members and to find help
from professionals as well
as public officials, in order
to enable the continuation
of both renovation and administrative
work. Searching appropriate
shelter for the vehicles is
another focus.
Our financial
resources are currently based
on members’ fees, the
receipts of our sales stall
and lotto-events.
The
media have taken
an interest in
the Tram Club
right from the
beginning of our
adventure.
For as long as
the Club du Tramway de Fribourg
has been owner of vehicles,
our main preoccupation has
been to find a sheltered
place to store these vehicles
together with all the spare
parts safely, in order to
preserve them in good condition.
Moreover, under the present
circumstances, the renovation
of tramcar No10 makes but
slow progress. It would be
ideal, if we could present
to the public all this material
well preserved in an exhibition,
or even to operate the vehicles
on a short section
The Manager of
the local Public
Transport Organisation
(GFM-TF), Mr Barras,
on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary
of TF in 1997
However, all this will not be achieved without
additional financial and manual
support.
What can successfully be achieved in other towns
(Bâle, Berne, Geneva,
Zurich) should be possible
in Fribourg, even though its
tramway lines have disappeared
!
Fribourg is a small town situated
on the Swiss plateau, on the
linguistic frontier. Consequently
many of its inhabitants are
bilingual (French and German).
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