Schwyz

Schwyz, canton, central Switzerland, traversed by the valleys of the Muota and the Sihl. More than three-quarters of the canton is reckoned as productive (forests covering about 92 square miles [238 square km]), and about 25 square miles (65 square km) are occupied by lakes, chiefly parts of Lakes Zürich and Lucerne, a small area of Lake Zug, and the whole of Lakes Lauerz and Sihl. Its highest point is the Ortstock (8,911 feet [2,716 m]), and two of the loftiest summits of the Rigi massif (the Kulm, 5,899 feet [1,798 m], and the Scheidegg, 5,463 feet [1,665 m]) are within its borders; but the land is largely hilly rather than mountainous. The valley of Schwyz was first mentioned in 972 as Suittes. Later, a community of freemen settled at the foot of the Grosser Mythen (6,230 feet [1,899 m]), subject only to the count of the Zürichgau, as representing the German king. In 1240 the community, then comprising the district around the village of Schwyz and the Muota Valley, obtained the privilege of being subject immediately to the empire. After Rudolf IV of Habsburg (later Rudolf I of Germany) refused to recognize its privileges, Schwyz took the lead in forming the Everlasting League of 1291 with the neighbouring districts of Uri and Unterwalden. The leadership of Schwyz in the early history of the league led to the application of its name in dialectical form, Schweiz (Switzerland), to the three founder cantons as early as 1320 and to the whole confederation by 1352 (although it became the official name only after 1803). After the victory over Austria at Sempach (1386), Schwyz greatly extended its borders. Schwyz opposed the Protestant Reformation and took part in the Battle of Kappel (1531), in which the Swiss Reformation leader Huldrych Zwingli fell. It formed part of the Helvetic Republic in 1798, regaining its status as an independent canton in 1803. Schwyz joined the Sonderbund (separatist Roman Catholic league) in 1845. The cantonal constitution of 1848, which put an end to the ancient Landsgemeinde (open-air elections of the canton, with voting by show of hands), was revised in 1876 and 1898.

The canton is primarily pastoral and noted for its local breed of brown cattle. Industrial activity (machinery, metal and wood products, and furniture manufacture) is centred near Schwyz (the capital) and Lake Zürich, and there are hydroelectric-power plants along Wägitaler Lake. There are mountain railways, but few major railroad lines. The largest towns are Schwyz and the pilgrimage centre of Einsiedeln. The population is predominantly German speaking and Roman Catholic. Area 351 square miles (908 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 138,832.