Uetendorf

Uetendorf is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Uetendorf is close to the city of Thun, and connected to traffic through the A6 motorway and the BLS AG's Thun-Belp-Bern railway line.

Due to its favourable geographic situation, it is home to several small to medium-sized industry companies, most notably the "Sarner Cristal" Glass Hut.

[3] The number of scattered neolithic, Bronze Age and La Tène artifacts indicate that the area around Uetendorf was home to many prehistoric settlements.

During the Roman era, in the 2nd century AD, there was a large country estate near the modern village.

In 994, Emperor Otto III donated many of his royal estates, including Uetendorf, to support the imperial Selz Abbey in Alsace.

He and his descendants owned the village and lands until some time in the 15th century, when they were sold to the hospital in Thun.

In 1528 Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and the entire parish converted.

[3] The village economy was based on raising crops and livestock in the flood plains and valley floors of the Glütschbach and Kander rivers.

However, the frequent floods forced the villages to build and maintain an extensive network of levees and dikes.

The projects opened up additional farm land and reduced losses due to flooding.

[3] The completion of the Gürbetal railroad in 1902 connected the village with its neighbors and the growing city of Thun.

The large factory brought other machinery and engineering companies into the municipality and fueled population growth.

Along with small businesses and factories, a waste water treatment plant was built.

When the factory closed in 1993, the local economy was diversified enough that the population remained steady.

[3] The Eichberg estate, which was built in 1792–1793 for Carolus von Fischer, became a boarding school in 1932.

Of rest of the municipality 2.12 km2 (0.82 sq mi) or 20.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km2 (4.9 acres) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes.

It consists of the village of Uetendorf, which is made up of the Dorf, Berg and Allmend neighborhoods, as well as scattered farm houses.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is "Azure on a Bend Argent three Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper".

In the tertiary sector; 480 or 41.9% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 95 or 8.3% were in the movement and storage of goods, 24 or 2.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 24 or 2.1% were in the information industry, 99 or 8.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 65 or 5.7% were in education and 157 or 13.7% were in health care.

[23] From the 2000 census[update], 4,333 or 76.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 514 or 9.0% 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.