Pierrafortscha

Pierrafortscha
Coat of arms
Pierrafortscha
Location of Pierrafortscha
Coordinates: 46°47′N 7°11′E / 46.783°N 7.183°E / 46.783; 7.183Coordinates: 46°47′N 7°11′E / 46.783°N 7.183°E / 46.783; 7.183
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Fribourg
District	Sarine
Government
• Mayor	Syndic
Area
• Total	5.06 km2 (1.95 sq mi)
Elevation	751 m (2,464 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	139
• Density	27/km2 (71/sq mi)
Postal code	1723
SFOS number	2216
Surrounded by	Fribourg (Fribourg/Freiburg im Üechtland), Marly, Sankt Ursen, Tentlingen, Villarsel-sur-Marly
Website	www.pierrafortscha.ch SFSO statistics

Pierrafortscha is a municipality in the district of Sarine in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Pierrafortscha is first mentioned in 1267 as Pierraforchia. In 1277 it was mentioned as Bevrechie. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Perfetschied, however, that name is no longer used.

Pierrafortscha has an area, as of 2009^[update], of 5.1 square kilometers (2.0 sq mi). Of this area, 3.52 km² (1.36 sq mi) or 69.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.12 km² (0.43 sq mi) or 22.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.37 km² (0.14 sq mi) or 7.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.04 km² (9.9 acres) or 0.8% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acres) or 0.2% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.6%. Out of the forested land, 20.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 49.0% is used for growing crops and 20.0% is pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.4% is in lakes and 0.4% is in rivers and streams.

The municipality is located in the Sarine district, on the language border between the Saane/Sarine river and the Gérine. It consists of eight hamlets including Pierrafortscha, Villars-sur-Marly, Granges-sur-Marly and La Schürra.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Azure and Or overall a Rough Stone proper.

Pierrafortscha has a population (as of December 2015^[update]) of 139. As of 2008^[update], 9.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 8.6%. Migration accounted for 3.6%, while births and deaths accounted for 3.6%.