Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the 26 cantons forming the

Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerlan ...

. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the government and parliament is

Herisau Herisau is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated ...

, and the seat of judicial authorities are in Trogen. It is traditionally considered a "

half-canton The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important periods in the development of ...

", the other half being

Appenzell Innerrhoden Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Inner-Rhodes, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. The seat of the government and parliament is Appenzell. It is ...

. Appenzell Ausserrhoden is located in the north east of Switzerland. Together with the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, it forms an enclave within the canton of St. Gallen. The canton is essentially located in the Alpine foothills of the

Alpstein The Alpstein are a subgroup of the Appenzell Alps in Switzerland. The Alpstein massif is in Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and St. Gallen. Despite it being rather low when compared to other Alpine peaks – the highest mountain ...

massif, culminating at the

Säntis At above sea level, Säntis is the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland. It is also the culminating point of the whole Appenzell Alps, between Lake Walen and Lake Constance. Shared by three cantons, the mountain ...

. Appenzell Ausserrhoden was part of the historical canton of

Appenzell Appenzell () was a cantons of Switzerland, canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen, in existence from 1403 to 1597. Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered ...

, which was divided into Appenzell Innerrhoden (Catholic) and Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Protestant) in 1597 as a result of the

Swiss Reformation The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...

History

Settlement in

started in the 7th and the 8th century alongside the river Glatt, nowadays part of canton of St. Gallen. The

abbey of St Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian Renaissance, Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot wh ...

was of great influence on the local population. In 907 Herisau is mentioned for the first time, the canton (Appenzell: ''abbatis cella'') is named first in 1071.

Foundation

The name ''Appenzell'' () means "cell (estate) of the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

." This refers to the

Abbey of St Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian Renaissance, Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot wh ...

, which exerted a great influence on the area. By the middle of the 11th century, the abbots of St Gall had established their power in the land later called Appenzell, which, too, became thoroughly teutonized, its early inhabitants having probably been romanized

Raetia Raetia or Rhaetia ( , ) was a province of the Roman Empire named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with Transalpine ...

ns. By about 1360, conflicts over

grazing rights Grazing rights is the right of a user to allow their livestock to feed (graze) in a given area. United States Grazing rights have never been codified in United States law, because such common-law rights derive from the English concept of the ...

, taxes, and tithes were causing concern for both the abbot and the farmers of Appenzell. Both parties wanted to protect their rights and interests by joining the new

Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...

. In 1377 Appenzell was allowed to join the League with the support of the cities of

Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...

and St. Gallen (the city of St. Gallen was often at odds with the neighboring Abbey of St Gall). With the support of League, Appenzell refused to pay many of the gifts and tithes that the Abbot Kuno von Stoffeln demanded. In response to the loss of revenue from his estates, Kuno approached the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

for help. In 1392 he made an agreement with the Habsburgs, which was renewed in 1402. In response, in 1401 Appenzell entered into an alliance with the city of St. Gallen to protect their rights and freedom.

Independence and joining the Swiss Confederation

Following increasing conflicts between the Appenzellers the abbot's agents, including the bailiff of Appenzell demanding that a dead body be dug up because he wanted the man's clothes, the Appenzellers planned an uprising. On a certain day, throughout the abbot's lands, they attacked the bailiffs and drove them out of the land. Following unsuccessful negotiations Appenzell and St. Gallen entered into a treaty. The treaty between St. Gallen and Appenzell marked a break between the abbot and his estates. Perhaps fearing the Habsburgs, in 1402 the League expelled Appenzell. During the same year, St. Gallen reached an agreement with the abbot and Appenzell could no longer count on St. Gallen's support. Appenzell declared itself ready to stand against the abbot, and in 1403 formed an alliance with the

canton of Schwyz The canton of Schwyz ( ; ; ; ) is a Cantons of Switzerland, canton in central Switzerland between the Swiss Alps, Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz. It is one ...

, a member of the

Old Swiss Confederation The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

that had defeated the Austrians in the previous century.

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Speicher and outside the village of Vögelinsegg met the Appenzell army. A small force of Appenzell and Confederation troops defeated the League army and signed a short lived peace treaty. Following another Appenzell victory on 17 June 1405, at Stoss Pass on the border of Appenzell town, the new canton continued to expand. During the expansion, Appenzell had even captured the abbot of St Gall and in response they were

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

by the

Bishop of Constance The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bishop, the prince-bishop also admini ...

. However, while the ''Bund'' expanded the Austrians used the peace to regain their strength. On 11 September 1406 an association of nobles formed a knightly order known as the ''Sankt Jörgenschild'' (Order of St. George's Shield) to oppose the rebellious commoners of the ''Bund''. Following a defeat at

Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...

, Appenzell was unable to hold the ''Bund'' together. The city of St. Gallen and the canton of Schwyz each paid off the Austrians to avoid an attack, and the ''Bund'' was dissolved by King Rupert on 4 April 1408. As part of the peace treaty, the abbot gave up his ownership of Appenzell, but was still owed certain taxes. However, it wasn't until 1410 that the area was at peace. In 1411 Appenzell signed a defensive treaty with the entire Swiss Confederation (except

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

), which strengthened its position against the abbot. Appenzell joined the Confederation as an "Associate Member" and did not become a full member until 1513. Following another battle in 1429, Appenzell was granted freedom from the obligations in the future. This treaty represented the end of Appenzell's last financial tie to the Abbey of St Gall and a movement to closer relationships with the Confederation.

Division of Appenzell

Starting in 1522, followers of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...

began to preach the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in Appenzell. The early reformers had the most success in the outer ''Rhoden'', a term that in the singular is said to mean a "clearing," and occurs in 1070, long before the final separation. Following the initial small success, in 1523 Joachim von Watt (also known as Joachim Vadian) began to preach the reformed version of the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...

to friends and fellow clergy. His preaching brought the Reformation into the forefront of public debate. In October 1523, the Council supported the Protestant principle of scriptural sermons and on 24 April 1524

Landsgemeinde The ''Landsgemeinde'' ("cantonal assembly"; , plural ''Landsgemeinden'') is a public, non-secret ballot voting system operating by majority rule. Still in use – in a few places – at the subnational political level in Switzerland, it was fo ...

confirmed the Cantonal Council's decision. However, the work of the

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

s in the Appenzell region (as well as in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

and St. Gallen) in 1525 led to government crackdowns. The first police action against the Anabaptists took place in June 1525, followed by the Anabaptist Disputation in Teufen in October 1529. To end the confrontation between the old and new faiths, the Landesgemeinde decided in April 1525, that each parish should choose a faith, but that the principle of free movement would be supported, so that the religious minority could attend the church of their choice regardless of where they lived. The entire Ausserrhoden (except Herisau, where Joseph Forrester convinced them to remain Catholic until the late 16th century) converted to the Reformation in 1529. The Innerrhoden (except for Gais which joined Ausserrhoden in 1597) remained with the old faith. While the majority of the residents of Appenzell town remained Catholic under their priest, Diepolt Huter, there was a strong Reformed minority. In 1531, the minority were nearly successful in getting the town to ally with the Protestant Ausserrhoden. But an armed mob of angry residents from the neighboring village of Gonten prevented the abolition of the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

in Appenzell. The Catholic victory in the

Second War of Kappel The Second War of Kappel () was an armed conflict in 1531 between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy during the Reformation in Switzerland. Background The peace concluded after the First War of Kappel two yea ...

in 1531 ended plans for a reformation of the entire canton of Appenzell. Two small monasteries ( Wonnenstein in Teufen and Grimmenstein in

Walzenhausen Walzenhausen is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. History The farm ''Walzenhausen'' was mentioned first in 1320. The church was built in 1638 in as little as nine months. This was the establishment of Walzenha ...

) in Ausserrhoden remained Catholic even though the towns around them adopted the new faith. In 1870 the monastery grounds were declared

exclaves An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the canton Appenzell Innerrhoden by the federal government. After the Second War of Kappel, the two religions reached a generally peaceful parity. They remained united by common business interests, the same political and legal understanding, a shared desire to form an alliance with France and a shared opposition to the city of St. Gallen. This shared opposition to St. Gallen was demonstrated in the so-called linen affairs (1535–42, 1579), when the weavers throughout Appenzell supported each other when they felt that they were unfairly treated by the linen industry of St. Gallen. After this time, the term ''Kanton Appenzell'' continued to refer to both half-cantons, although this usage has since become outdated. Usually ''die beiden Appenzell'' ("the two Appenzells") are spoken of in a political context, and ''Appenzellerland'' in a geographic context, if the aim is to refer to Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden collectively. From 1798 to 1803 Appenzell, with the other domains of the abbot of St Gall, was formed into the

canton of Säntis Säntis was the name of a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, consisting of the territory of St. Gallen, Appenzell Appenzell () was a cantons of Switzerland, canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by ...

of the

Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (; ; ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...

, but in 1803, on the creation of the new canton of St. Gallen, shrank back within its former boundaries.

Early Modern Appenzell

From the 16th century onwards, linen production was established little by little. Larger textile businesses established themselves, later diversifying into weaving and embroidery. The textile industry collapsed between 1920 and 1939. In 1834, a constitution was adapted, undergoing reforms in 1876 and 1908. The construction of numerous railway lines between 1875 and 1913 helped the local industry and the population grew to a maximum of 57,973 people in 1910 (compared with 53,200 in 2001). In 1934

Johannes Baumann Johannes Baumann (27 November 1874 in Herisau – 8 September 1953) was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1934–1940). He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland The Federal Council is the federal Cabin ...

was the first citizen from Appenzell Ausserrhoden to become a federal councilor.

Women's right to vote Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

was introduced in 1972 on a local level, but only in 1989 on a canton-wide level. In 1994 for the first time two women were elected into government. The open assembly (''

'') was abolished in 1997. The Landsgemeinde still convenes in Appenzell Inerrhoden. The

right of foreigners to vote Non-citizen suffrage is the extension of the right to vote (suffrage) to non-citizens. This right varies widely by place in terms of which non-citizens are allowed to vote and in which elections, though there has been a trend over the last 30 year ...

is determined by each municipality.

Municipalities

The 20

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

(''Einwohnergemeinden'') are: *

Bühler Bühler is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. History Bühler is first mentioned in 1479 as ''Ullrich Büllershoff''. Geography Bühler has an area, , of . Of this area, 62.7% is used for agricultural purpo ...

Gais Gais () is a village and a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. The area of Gais is . In 1977, the village Gais received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. The ...

Grub GNU GRUB (short for GNU GRand Unified Bootloader, commonly referred to as GRUB) is a boot loader package from the GNU Project. GRUB is the reference implementation of the Free Software Foundation's Multiboot Specification, which provides a use ...

* Heiden *

Hundwil Hundwil is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. History Hundwil is first mentioned in 921 as ''Huntwilare''. Geography Hundwil has an area, , of . Of thi ...

* Lutzenberg *

Rehetobel Rehetobel is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. Geography Rehetobel has an area, , of . Of this area, 53.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 35. ...

Reute Reute () is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. History Reute was created due to the division of Appenzell in the wake of the Reformation. Some communities were left in the old faith, others turned themselves ...

* Schönengrund * Schwellbrunn * Speicher *

Stein Stein may refer to: Places Austria * Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria * Stein, Styria, a municipality in the district of Fürstenfeld, Styria * Stein (Lassing), a village in the district of Liezen, Styria * Stein a ...

* Teufen * Trogen * Urnäsch *

Wald __NOTOC__ Wald is the German word for forest. Surname * Wald (surname) Places Austria * Wald am Schoberpass, in Styria * Wald im Pinzgau, in Salzburger Land Germany * Wald, Baden-Württemberg * Wald, Upper Palatinate, in the district of Cham, ...

* Waldstatt *

Wolfhalden Wolfhalden is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. History Wolfhalden, Heiden, Switzerland, Heiden and Lutzenberg, Switzerland, Lutzenberg originally were par ...

Demographics

The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 6,959 foreigners, or about 13.22% of the total population. Due to the split of Appenzell, the majority of the population () is

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

(51%) with a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

minority (31%).

Historical population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Politics

Cantonal Council

Federal election results

: FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009 : "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton. : No election held

References

External links

*
Appenzell (AR) Tourism
{{Authority control Cantons of Switzerland