Saanen (French: Gessenay; Highest Alemannic: Saanä) is a municipality in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

[3] During the Bronze Age there was a hill fort on the Cholis Grind near the modern village of Saanen.

[4] During the Middle Ages several forts were built to guard the mule trails into the Valais and Vaud.

The counts' financial problems forced them to sell parts of the vogtei and some of the rights to the residents of Saanen in the 14th century.

In 1401, Count Rudolph of Gruyère entered into a treaty with Bern which included Saanen.

The military losses and taxes following the Old Zürich War led Saanen to support the Evil League (Böser Bund) in 1445 against Bern.

[4] During the Burgundian War in 1475 Saanen, together with troops from Château-d'Œx and the Simmental captured the Savoy district of Aigle for Bern.

Saanen and the surrounding district enjoyed a great deal of independence during the 16th century.

However, in 1555 the last Count of Gruyère lost the entire district to Bern when his county went bankrupt.

The Bernese bailiff administered the districts of Gessenay (Saanen) and Pays-d'Enhaut until the great fire of 1575 which destroyed much of the town.

[4] The district covered eleven separate Bäuerten or agricultural collectives or farming villages and the towns of Saanen and Gstaad.

The main sources of income were seasonal alpine herding, forestry and providing warehousing and extra oxen for wagon trains coming over the mule trails.

Between the wars, a small weaving industry developed which helped support the municipality.

The major employer at the beginning of the 21st century was Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG, a company that brings together more than 60 different cable cars and lifts in the region.

[3] During the Middle Ages, Gstaad village developed at the fork in the trails into the Valais and Vaud.

It had an inn, a warehouse for storing trade goods and oxen to help pull wagons over the alpine passes by the 13th-14th centuries.

During the World Wars and the Great Depression, the tourism industry suffered, and many hotels closed.

After World War II, many of the large hotels remained closed, but they were replaced with a number of smaller non-hotel accommodation (chalets, apartment houses, residences).

Most of the modern resorts and small hotels are built out of wood and retain traditional design elements.

The area was transferred in 1555 along with the rest of the Saanen parish from the Counts of Gruyere to Bern.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules a Crane rising Argent beaked and membered Or on a Mount of 3 Coupeaux of the second.

[12] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][16] The Alte Kastlanei and the Church are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire village of Saanen is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

In the tertiary sector, 907 or 26.4% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 212 or 6.2% were in the movement and storage of goods, 1,156 or 33.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 12 or 0.3% were in the information industry, 95 or 2.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 192 or 5.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 108 or 3.1% were in education and 235 or 6.8% were in health care.

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

[24] Founded in 1949 by Fred Sicking and his wife,[24] the school is an institution, with 75 boarding and day students, whose ages range from 5 to 16.

[27] It is an English language school and offers daily ski instruction in the Swiss Alps.

Previously Gstaad International School had its Alpine Lodge Campus in Saanen.