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. History Uetendorf is first mentioned in 994 as udendorf. 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. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire the estate probably remained in operation and eventually became a royal estate under the Kings of Burgundy. In 994, Emperor Otto III donated many of his royal estates, including Uetendorf, to support the imperial Selz Abbey in Alsace. The estate and village apparently passed through several owners over the next centuries. In 1232 the Lords of Uetendorf appear in records as members of the city council of Bern. In 1370 they apparently sold Uetendorf to Johann Zeinigen of Thun. 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 1521 the hospital combined Uetendorf, Längenbühl and Uttigen together into the municipality of Uetendorf in the district court of Seftigen where it remained for over two centuries. In 1783 it became a municipality in the Thun District where it remains today. The village of Uetendorf was part of the parish of Amsoldingen. In 1528 Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and the entire parish converted. In 1578 it became part of the nearby parish of Thierachern, but remained without its own church until 1955. 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. During the 1860s the Aare River correction projects finally reduced the flood risk and drained the swampy land around the rivers. The projects opened up additional farm land and reduced losses due to flooding. The completion of the Gürbetal railroad in 1902 connected the village