Gerzensee is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

[3] The oldest trace of a settlement in the area comes from scattered neolithic artifacts found around the municipality.

La Tène and Roman era artifacts indicate that the area remained settled.

By the Middle Ages the Freiherr von Kramburg had built his Festi Castle above the village and ruled over part of the valley.

Jakob von Wattenwyl had the old building rebuilt in a late-Gothic style under the direction of the master builder Balthasar Ambühl.

[3] In 1700 Samuel Morlot decided to build a country manor house, known as the New Castle, on the one-third of the estate that he owned.

In 1755 Franz Emanuel Anton von Graffenried bought the scattered pieces of the estate and combined the manor house, village, lake and other farm land back into a single estate.

In 1980 the Swiss National Bank acquired the New Castle and turned it into a research center.

However, it was demolished around 1528 when Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and its location was lost.

[3] During the 17th to 19th centuries, the sunny southern slope of the Belpberg mountain became popular with Bernese patricians.

The Lerber, Graffenried, Luternau, Freudenreich and Büren families all built country estates above the village.

[5] The municipality stretches from the south-east edge of Belpberg mountain to the Aare river.

It consists of the village of Gerzensee and the scattered settlements of Sädel, Vorderchlapf and Hinterchlapf.

[7] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure an Angel volant proper robed and winged Argent holding in his dexter hand Scales Or and in his sinister a Palm Branch vert.

[10] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (884 or 97.0%) as their first language, French is the second most common (14 or 1.5%) and Portuguese is the third (4 or 0.4%).

[15] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][16][17] The Freiherr's farm house at Rütimatt is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire village of Gerzensee and the hamlet of Vordere Chlapf are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

In the tertiary sector; 19 or 16.1% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 8 or 6.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 47 or 39.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 1.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 24 or 20.3% were in education and 5 or 4.2% were in health care.

[25] From the 2000 census[update], 690 or 75.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 77 or 8.5% were Roman Catholic.

This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude.

Following the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship.