The canton of Glarus ( ; ; ; ) is a canton in east-central

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 ...

. The capital is

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.Alemannic German Alemannic, or rarely Alemannish (''Alemannisch'', ), is a group of High German dialects. The name derives from the ancient Germanic tribal confederation known as the Alemanni ("all men"). Distribution Alemannic dialects are spoken by approxi ...

. The majority of the population (81%) identifies as

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, about evenly split between

Protestants 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 ...

and

Catholics 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 ...

History

According to legend, the inhabitants of the

Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Linthal, Glarus, village of Linthal in the mountains of the cantons of Switzerland, canton of canton of Glarus, Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee (Züri ...

Valley were converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in the 6th century by the Irish monk Saint Fridolin, the founder of Säckingen Abbey in what is now the German state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

. From the 9th century, the area around

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.Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...

began to settle in the valley in the early 8th century. The Alemannic German language took hold only gradually and was dominant by the 11th century. By 1288, the

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

s had claimed all the abbey's rights. Glarus joined the

Old Swiss Confederacy 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 ...

in 1352 as one of the foundational eight cantons (''Acht Orte'') of the period of 1353–1481. The first recorded

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 ...

of Glarus took place in 1387. Habsburg's attempts to reconquer the valley were repelled in the Battle of Näfels of 1388. A banner depicting Saint Fridolin was used to rally the people of Glarus at that battle, and from that time, Glarus has used the image of Saint Fridolin on its flags and in its coat of arms. The County of Werdenberg was annexed to Glarus in 1517. Between 1506 and 1516, the later reformer

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 ...

was a priest in Glarus, but Glarus remained Catholic, and by 1564, all of Zwingli's followers were eliminated. This, however, did not end the struggles between the Protestants and the Catholics in the area. To secure peace it was decided that each party should have its own assembly (''

'') in 1623, and at a later stage in 1683, each side was granted the right to have its own tribunals. Between 1798 and 1803, Glarus was part of the canton of Linth as established by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. In 1836 the constitution was adapted to unite the assemblies and establish a single ''Landsgemeinde''. In the early 1840s, after several years of failed crops and as food became scarce, much of the canton found itself deep in poverty. With more workers than available jobs,

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

was seen as a solution. The Glarus Emigration Society was established in 1844, which offered loans to help residents purchase land in the New World. Many of the resulting emigrants went to the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, where they founded the town of New Glarus.J. Jacob Tschudy. "Additional Notes on New Glarus," ''Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. VIII'' (1879). On May 6, 2007, Glarus became the first Swiss canton to lower the voting age to 16.

Geography

The canton of Glarus is dominated by the deep valley of the

River and the smaller Sernftal on the east. Most of the area is mountainous. The highest peak in the

Glarus Alps The Glarus Alps () are a mountain range in central Switzerland. They are bordered by the Uri Alps and the Schwyz Alps to the west, the Lepontine Alps to the south, the Appenzell Alps to the northeast. The eastern part of the Glarus Alps contains ...

is the Tödi at . Other mountains include the Hausstock () and the Glärnisch (). The canton contains part of a thrust fault that was declared a geologic

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, in 2008. Famous outcrops in the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona include those at Lochsite near

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.Tschingelhörner'' between Elm and Flims (in the same cliff is a natural hole called the Martinsloch). There is also a large lake called Walensee ( Lake Walen) on the north. The total area of the canton of Glarus is , of which about half is considered productive. Forestry is an important branch of industry in the canton.

Municipalities

The ''

'' (cantonal assembly) of 2006 decided that the 25 municipalities of Glarus be consolidated to three, effective 1 January 2011. * The new municipality of

Netstal Netstal is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Netstal is part of the municipality of Glarus. History Netstal is first mentioned in 1289 as ''Netstal''. Geogr ...

and

Riedern Riedern is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Glarus (canton), Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Riedern is part of the municipality of Glarus. History Riedern is fi ...

. * Glarus Nord subsumed Bilten, Filzbach, Mollis, Mühlehorn, Näfels, Niederurnen, Oberurnen and Obstalden. *

Glarus Süd Glarus Süd is a municipality in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Glarus. It comprises the upper Linth valley, and the entire Sernf valley, and includes the villages of Betschwanden, Braunwald, Glarus, Braunwald, Diesbach, Glarus, Diesbach, Elm, Sw ...

subsumed Betschwanden, Braunwald, Elm, Engi, Haslen (including Leuggelbach and Nidfurn), Linthal,

Luchsingen Luchsingen is a village and former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Luchsingen is first mentioned in 1274 as ''Luchsingen''. In 2004 the former municipali ...

(including Diesbach and Hätzingen),

Matt Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

, Mitlödi, Rüti, Schwanden, Schwändi and Sool.

Demographics

The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 7,314 foreigners (or 19.13% of the total population). The population () is nearly evenly split between

(44%) and

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 ...

s (37%). 83.6% is German-speaking and 6.8% is Italian-speaking.

Historical population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Economy

The canton's geography helped establish slate works in the 17th century. The mountainous surroundings of Glarus also served as an advantage in industrialisation. Cotton spinning was important in the 18th century, complementing traditional woollen spinning. Industrialisation also brought cotton printing, hydroelectric plants, metal and machinery factories, and paper mills. In 2014, about 5% of the workers in Glarus worked in the primary sector (the total for all of Switzerland is 3.3%). Of these 5%, in 2008, nearly three-quarters were involved in

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

and

cattle breeding Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock ...

. In 2014 the secondary sector employed 8,322 or about 38.2% of the total, which is much higher than 21.8% for the entire country. Over one-quarter of those in the secondary sector worked in the construction industry. The tertiary sector employed 12,366, or about 56.8% of the total, almost 18% lower than 74.9% nationwide. Of those in the tertiary sector, 11.72% work in retail shops and 10.37% are in health care.

Politics

Federal election results

: FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009 : "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.

Notes and references

External links

Official site

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glarus, Canton Cantons of Switzerland 14th-century establishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy 1350s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1352 establishments in Europe