Seedorf, Bern

Other prehistoric sites include; a Hallstatt burial mound at Einschlag, a La Tene skeleton near the Seedorf school house and an early and high medieval settlement near the church.

[3] Except for the village of Frieswil, the entire Seedorf parish belonged to Count Udelhard of Saugern.

The new abbey remained small and struggled until the first half of the 13th century, when a number of donations allowed it to expand.

In the second half of the 13th century, the abbey founded the nunneries of Fraubrunnen, Steinen and Tedlingen.

In 1386, the Abbey tied itself closely to Bern, when it accepted Bernese citizenship for its monks and farmers.

When Bern embraced the Protestant Reformation, many Bernese monasteries, including Frienisberg, were secularized.

The former convent building was converted into a hospital in 1533 and it housed the local Bernese bailiff until 1798.

Starting around 1850, many of the farms shifted from growing crops to raising livestock and producing dairy.

In multiple stages between 1858 and 1957, the Seedorfmoos was drained, which opened up additional land.

Therefore, the local economy has remained rooted in agriculture and small businesses.

Beginning in 1920, agriculture became increasingly mechanized and required fewer farm workers.

In the 1970s the population stabilized as commuters and businesses moved from the nearby cities.

[6] The municipality is located on the northern edge of the Frienisberg Plateau at an elevation of between 469 and 823 m (1,539 and 2,700 ft).

It consists of the villages of Seedorf, Aspi, Baggwil, Dampfwil, Frienisberg, Frieswil, Lobsigen, Ruchwil and Wilerand, along with eleven hamlets and scattered farm houses.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Argent and Azure in chief a Semi Bear rampant issuant Sable langued Gules.

In the federal election, a total of 1,326 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 55.7%.

[10] From the 2000 census[update], 212 or 6.7% were Roman Catholic, while 2,561 or 81.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

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

[17] During the 2009-10 school year, there were a total of 252 students attending classes in Seedorf.

The recent excavations discovered a burnt layer that indicated that at least one of the settlements was destroyed by a fire.

Frienisberg Abbey in 1670
Frienisberg Abbey and surroundings
Aerial view (1954)
Lobsigensee and the village of Lobsigen