6km/4mi southeast of Bulle, on a green ridge of hills, is Gruyères (alt. 801 m/2,628ft; pop. 1,200), famous for the cheese of the same name. Finely situated and still surrounded by its ancient walls, the town has largely preserved its old-world aspect. From 923 it was the capital of a county which was ruled by a succession of 19 counts; then in 1
555 Fribourg and Berne divided the territory between them, and the castle (1493) became the residence of the governors until its acquisition by the Bovy family of Geneva in 1848.
The town lies just off the main road from Bulle to Château-d'Oex but is closed to motor vehicles (parking lots outside the town walls). The houses in the main street are statutorily protected as ancient monuments.
The commune of Gruyères also includes the villages of Epagny (712 m/2,336ft) and Pringy (746 m/2,448ft).
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