History
Gurtnellen is first mentioned in 1257 as Chuno und die Gurteneller. In 1321 it was mentioned as Gruntellon, and in 1359 as Gurtenellen.
Geography
Gurtnellen has an area, as of 2006, of 83.4 km2 (32.2 sq mi). Of this area, 11.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (61.7%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).