La Grande Riedera Castle (Mouret)

The Petite-Riedera, built for Marti Gottrau at the end of the 16th century, was divided. A second manor house became the Grande-Riedera. The owner was the Gottrau branch of Pensier. The entirety of the buildings was completed in 1639. The art historian Aloys Lauper wrote regarding the ensemble of buildings: "With its surrounding wall, its tower and its general appearance - chapel, dwelling, stable, granary and oven - Grand-Riedera undoubtedly best corresponds to the traditional image of a castle." Among the 17th-century artworks that adorn these places, the painted ceilings, the decorations adorning the cabinet on the first floor, and the altarpiece of the chapel, attributed to Jean-François Reyff, shine.

The works carried out in 1890 and 1916 did not change the appearance or the general distribution of the buildings.

The construction site begun in 1937 by the new owner Georges Cailler was less respectful. A new timber frame - among other things - changed the appearance of the manor house. This son of the chocolate manufacturer Alexandre Cailler transformed Grande-Riedera into a modern agricultural enterprise. He sought out the first tractor in the Fribourg region in Basel (Georges Cailler was also the first pilot from Gruyère. In March 1910, he managed to fly his plane to a height of 30 meters between Broc and Gruyères. According to a witness, the flight lasted 1 minute 41! Georges Cailler died in 1938 in his plane).

In 1962, the castle was bought by Fritz Schürch, owner of the united tobacco factories AG in Neuchâtel. From 1983, his sons and daughter-in-law transformed the castle - at their own expense - into a high-cultural venue with exhibitions, concerts, and poetry evenings. The roofs were converted into a ballroom, which benefited from exceptional acoustics. An ideal place for many different occasions.

Since 1989, Grande-Riedera has belonged to the Monique Sophie Pobé Stöcklin Foundation, which founded the Grande-Riedera Castle Foundation. The oven was completely rebuilt. Two modern apartments were furnished in the old rural house. The stables were converted into two large halls, ideal for cultural events. The artisan workshop was moved again, now usable once more. The park adjacent to the castle shines in new splendor. The Monique Pobé Museum presents an extensive collection of bronzes as well as porcelain statues, all depicting dog breeds.