Fribourgeoise
An extinct black-pied Swiss dual-purpose breed, later absorbed into the Holstein
A large black-pied dual-purpose breed of western Switzerland, from the Canton of Fribourg, kept for milk and for meat. From about 1966 its cows were crossed with imported Holstein stock, and the breed was effectively gone once its last pure-bred bull died in 1973.
- A large black-pied dual-purpose breed from the Canton of Fribourg in Switzerland
- Crossed with imported Holstein stock from about 1966
- Effectively extinct in 1973, when the last pure-bred bull died
- A breeders' society began in 1890; a herd book in 1898 or 1899
- Thought to have left blood in the modern Swiss Holstein
What do Fribourgeoise cattle look like?
The Fribourgeoise belonged to the humpless taurine cattle of Europe, and the old descriptions call it a large animal with a black-pied coat, that is black and white in patches. It was a dual-purpose breed, so the cows gave milk and the stock was also reared for meat. Being taurine, it carried no hump. It was a farm breed of the Canton of Fribourg in the west of Switzerland, and by the middle of the twentieth century most of the animals were still found in that canton.
Where does the Fribourgeoise come from?
The breed came from the Canton of Fribourg in western Switzerland. In German it was the Freiburger, and later it was known as Schwarzfleckvieh, meaning black-patched cattle. Its reputation grew after a bull was judged best at a Paris show in 1856, the second Concours agricole universel. Breeders formed a society in 1890, and a herd book was opened in 1898 or 1899. In 1903 a bull called Garibaldi was sent to an exhibition in Milan but turned back at the border because the name recalled the hero of Italian unification; only a new name gained it entry.
How the Fribourgeoise is bred and kept
For most of its history the Fribourgeoise was bred in the Canton of Fribourg, with some animals in the neighbouring cantons of Neuchâtel and Bâle in the 1940s. Two bulls of the German Schwarzbunte Niederungsrind breed arrived in the 1950s, and the following decade brought a little stock smuggled in from France and Germany. The breed's name was changed to Schwarzfleckvieh. Rules on artificial insemination were relaxed in 1966, and frozen Holstein semen began arriving from Canada in quantity; roughly 29,000 doses were used in 1973.
Fribourgeoise, drawn
What the Fribourgeoise is kept for
The breed did two jobs at once, milk and meat, which is what is meant by a dual-purpose animal. No milk yield or butterfat figures for it are recorded. Its show animals were prized: a bull from the breed was placed first in Paris in 1856, and in 1903 another animal was sent to Milan for exhibition. In the end the milking side of the breed was replaced, as farmers turned to Holstein blood and the old Fribourgeois stock was absorbed into the Swiss Holstein.
The Fribourgeoise at fairs and festivals
A bull of the breed was placed first at the Paris Concours agricole universel in 1856, the second of those shows. In 1903 another bull, named Garibaldi, was sent to an exhibition in Milan; the Italian authorities refused it entry at first and allowed it in only once its name had been changed, since Garibaldi was the hero of Italian unification.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
The breed is listed as extinct. A breeders' society was founded in 1890, and a herd book followed in 1898 or 1899. By the 1940s the animals were mostly in the Canton of Fribourg. Imported blood and artificial insemination thinned the pure stock: about 29,000 doses of frozen Holstein semen were used in 1973, and in that same year the last pure-bred bull died, which ended the breed in practice. Part of its inheritance survives in the Swiss Holstein.
Questions people ask about Fribourgeoise
Where does the Fribourgeoise come from?
From the Canton of Fribourg in western Switzerland, where it was a traditional farm breed. In the 1940s most of the cattle were still in that canton, with a few in Neuchâtel and Bâle.
What was it kept for?
It was a dual-purpose breed: the cows were milked and the animals were also reared for meat. No milk yield or butterfat figures for it are recorded, and its show cattle were prized at exhibitions.
Why did the breed disappear?
Holstein blood came in from about 1966, after rules on artificial insemination were relaxed, and frozen semen from Canada was used in large amounts. The last pure-bred bull died in 1973, and the stock was absorbed into the Swiss Holstein.
What did a Fribourgeoise look like?
It was a large animal with a black-pied coat, black and white in patches. As a taurine breed it had no hump. Its old German name, Schwarzfleckvieh, means black-patched cattle.
Is the breed still kept today?
No. It became effectively extinct when the last pure-bred bull died in 1973. Some of its blood remains in the modern Swiss Holstein, which is thought to be partly descended from it.
Good reading and sources
- Fribourgeoise on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Fribourgeoise", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
More from Switzerland
All the breeds of Switzerland
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreSimmental
A large dual-purpose breed from the Swiss Simme valley, red and white with strong growth rates.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile
🇦🇹 Austria and 5 moreFleckvieh
A large Central European dual-purpose breed, red and white pied or solid red, kept for milk and beef.Composite · Dual-purpose · Docile
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreHinterwaldHinterwälder Rind
A small Black Forest cow, white head and pied coat, kept for both milk and beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Cold-hardy
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandÉvolène
An endangered dual-purpose breed from the Swiss Alps, pied red or black with horns in both sexesTaurine · Dual-purpose · Cold-hardy
Its cousins elsewhere
All dual-purpose breeds
🇮🇳 IndiaHarianaहरियाना
A medium to large dual-purpose zebu from Haryana, white to grey with short horns.Zebu · Dual-purpose · Disease-resistant
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 1 moreTharparkarٿرپارڪر
A hardy zebu breed from the Thar Desert, white to grey with a firm hump, kept for milk and work.Zebu · Dual-purpose · Heat-tolerant
🇮🇳 IndiaDeoni
A horned draught breed from Maharashtra, kept for work and milkZebu · Dual-purpose