Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Inner-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 five districts. The seat of the government and parliament is

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 ...

. 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 Ausserrhoden Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the gove ...

. Appenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest canton of

Switzerland 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. Switzerland ...

by population and the second smallest by area. It is located in the northeast of the country. Together with the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, 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 Innerrhoden was part of the historical canton of

, which was divided into Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Protestant) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (Catholic) 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

Foundation

The name ''Appenzell'' () means "cell (i.e., 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-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had er ...

, 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 the 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 agreed with the Habsburgs, which was renewed in 1402. In response, in 1401, Appenzell allied with the city of St. Gallen to protect their rights and freedom.

Independence and joining the Swiss Confederation

Following increasing conflicts between the Appenzellers and 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 pre-arranged 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, which 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 allied 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 the two sides 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 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 of Germany Rupert of the Palatinate (; 5 May 1352 – 18 May 1410), sometimes known as Robert of the Palatinate, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was Elector Palatine from 1398 (as Rupert III) and King of Germany from 1400 until his death. Early ...

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 was not 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 their 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 towards 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 Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

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 to the forefront of public debate. In October 1523, the Council supported the Protestant principle of scriptural sermons, and on 24 April 1524, the

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

converted to the Reformation in 1529. The Innerrhoden remained with the old faith. While the majority of the residents of Appenzell town remained Catholic under Pastor 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. 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 ally 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), in which the weavers throughout Appenzell supported each other when they felt that they were unfairly treated by the linen industry of St. Gallen. From 1798 to 1803, Appenzell, with the other domains of the abbot of St Gall, was formed into the canton of Säntis 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. Gall, shrank back within its former boundaries.

Modern history

Appenzell Innerrhoden has voted against each new Constitution of Switzerland since 1848. The people of the Appenzell Innerrhoden have objected to the trend towards a stronger central government in Switzerland. Appenzell Innerrhoden was the last canton in Switzerland to grant women the right to vote on local issues, being forced to do so only in 1990 when two women from Appenzell filed a lawsuit in the Swiss Federal Court and won. A centuries-old law forbidding women to vote was changed in 1991, when Switzerland's federal court ordered the canton to grant women the right to vote. Appenzell Innerrhoden was the canton with the smallest percentage of approval votes (at 50.8% compared to the Swiss-wide average of 64.1%) in the "Marriage for All" referendum completed on 26 September 2021, making it the most hesitant canton for equal marriage for gay and lesbian citizens.

Geography

Most of the canton is pastoral, despite being largely mountainous. The

peak in the

Appenzell Alps The Appenzell Alps () are a mountain range in Switzerland on the northern edge of the Alps. They extend into the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden and St. Gallen and are bordered by the Glarus Alps to the west and the Rä ...

is one of the main attractions of the canton. There are three small mountain lakes in the canton: Seealpsee, Sämtisersee, and Fälensee. 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 ...

) are

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 in Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

Politics

is the capital of this canton. The constitution was established in 1872. Citizens from the canton assemble each year on the last Sunday of April for the ''

'' (general assembly) in a square in Appenzell; they elect the cantonal government and judiciary, accept the oath of the elected members, and vote on several issues on the agenda; about 4000 citizens usually participate. In 1991, following a decision by the

Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ( ; ; ; ; sometimes the Swiss Federal Tribunal) is the supreme court of the Swiss Confederation and the head of the Swiss judiciary. The Federal Supreme Court is headquartered in the Federal Courth ...

, Appenzell Innerrhoden became the last Swiss canton to grant women the vote on local issues. It also was the canton with the strongest support (71%) for the

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

ban in the

2009 Swiss minaret referendum The federal popular initiative "against the construction of minarets" was a successful federal popular initiative, popular initiative in Switzerland to prevent the construction of minarets on mosques. In a 2009 Swiss referendums, November 2009 re ...

and the lowest support (51%) in the

2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum The 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum was a facultative referendum held in Switzerland on 26 September 2021 about an amendment to the Civil Code to legalise marriage between people of the same sex, as well as adoption rights for same-sex c ...

Political subdivisions

In Appenzell Innerrhoden, districts are the lowest administrative division, as the canton has no municipalities (except for the Feuerschaugemeinde, a special-purpose municipality for firefighting, energy, and water for the town of

). The districts are functionally equivalent to

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' ...

elsewhere in Switzerland, and are generally shown as municipalities on maps, etc. The canton is divided into five districts: *

* Gonten * Oberegg * Schlatt-Haslen * Schwende-Rüte On 1 May 2022, the former districts of Rüte and Schwende merged to form the new district of Schwende-Rüte.

Government

The State Commission (Standeskommission) constitutes the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

government of the canton of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of seven councillors (), each presiding over a department (''Departement'') comprising several offices and bureaus. The president of the executive department acts as an executive president (''regierender Landammann''). In the mandate period (''Legislatur'') 2019 – 2021, the State Commission is presided over by ''regierender Landammann''

Roland Dähler Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Franks, Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland w ...

. The ''regierende Landammann'' and the ''stillstehender Landammann'' (stationary president) are switched every two years. Departmental tasks, coordination measures, and implementation of laws decreed by the canton's parliament, the ''Grosse Rat'', and the ''Landsgemeinde'', as well as legal judgments, are carried out by the State Commission. The regular (re-)election of the State Commission by the ''Landsgemeinde'' is held every year. Any resident of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the State Commission. The assignment of the departments for the ''Säckelmeister'' (minister of finance), ''Landeshauptmann'' (country's captain), ''Bauherr'' (minister of building and civil engineering), and ''Landesfähnrich'' (country's ensign) is given by their roles. The departments of education, economics, and health and social services are assigned by the collegiate to the two ''Landammänner'' and the ''Statthalter''. , Appenzell Inner-Rhodes' State Commission is made up of two members of the CVP ( Christian Democratic People's Party), one member of the SVP (

Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party (, SVP; , PPS), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (, UDC; , UDC), is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Marcel Dettling, it is the largest party in ...

), and four independents of whom one is currently also the president. The last regular election (''Landsgemeinde'') was held on 28 April 2019.

Parliament

Landsgemeinde

Citizens from the canton assemble on the last Sunday of April each year for the ''Landsgemeinde'' (literally: country's assembly) in the central square in

, elect the cantonal government and judiciary, accept the oath of the elected members, and vote on several issues put forward by the government and/or the parliament. It is presided over by the ''regierende Landammann''. Every Swiss citizen of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes older than 18 has the right to vote and to step onto the ''Stuhl'' (literally the chair, but in fact the podium) and to debate the election of the proposed members of government and judiciary, or any of the issues to be voted on. After the State Commission has taken their seats on the ''Stuhl'' and the ''regierende Landammann'' opens and welcomes the assembly, (s)he then presents the state bill. Then the discussions are opened. Then the elections and the subsequent oaths take place. Finally, the votes on the programmed issues are taken.

Grosser Rat

The Grosser Rat or Grand Council is composed of 50 members, elected in the six districts of the canton. In five of the six districts, the election takes place once a year in the annual session of the district equivalent of the

and therefore takes place in the open. In the other district, Oberegg District, which forms two small exclaves of the canton a few kilometres northeast of the rest, a separate ballot is held in May. The most important tasks of the Council are providing preliminary advice on the constitutional and legislative proposals to be placed before the Landsgemeinde. Also, the issuing of regulations to enforce the canton's legislation and supervision of all the cantonal authorities. The Council reviews and approves the annual financial statements and sets the budget and the tax rates.Website of the Canton of Appenzell Inner Rhoden
retrieved 12 December 2018

Federal elections

* National Council (Nationalrat): Thomas Rechsteiner, 2019 * Council of States (Ständerat): Daniel Fässler, 2019

Demographics

The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 1,510 foreigners, or about 9.76% of the total population. Owing to the split of Appenzell along religious lines, the population () is mostly

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 ...

(81%), with a small

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 ...

minority (10%).

Historical population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Economy

Cattle breeding and dairy farming are the main agricultural activities:

Appenzeller cheese Appenzeller cheese () is a hard cow's-milk cheese produced in the Appenzellerland region of northeast Switzerland, in the two modern-day cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine chee ...

is widely available throughout Switzerland. Somewhat before the early 2000s, the countryside of Appenzell Innerrhoden became popular with

nudists Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

, and at the 2009 Landsgemeinde the canton's residents voted to prohibit naked hiking. However nudists who appealed against their fines to the federal court have been reimbursed by the local authorities, as nudism is not a crime under Swiss federal law which takes precedence.Swiss naked hiker's appeal upheld
(BBC 28 May 2010) It is common for cars rented in Switzerland to be registered in Appenzell Innerrhoden, and thus have license plates starting with "AI", because of the reduced tax on cars in this canton.

Notes and references

External links

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