Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

UNTERWALDEN

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 781 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

UNTERWALDEN , one of the cantons of central See also:

Switzerland, extends to the See also:south of the See also:lake of See also:Lucerne, 14 sq. m. of which are included within the See also:canton (13 being in Nidwalden). It is composed of two valleys, through which run two streams, both called Aa, and both flowing into the lake of Lucerne. The more See also:westerly of these glens is called Obwalden, and the more easterly Nidwalden. These names really come from the 13th See also:century expression for the inhabitants, homines intramontani (men dwelling in the mountains), whether of vallis superioris (of the upper valley) or vallis inferioris (of the See also:lower valley). But in the 14th century the relative position of the two valleys is defined as " upper " and " lower " with reference to the See also:great Kerns See also:forest (stretching between See also:Stans and Kerns), and hence is derived the historically inaccurate name of " Forest cantons," now so well known. The See also:total See also:area of the canton is 295.4 sq. m. (Obwalden has 183.2 and Nidwalden 112'1, though it must be See also:borne in mind that the upper portion of what should be the territory of Nidwalden is, as regards the Blacken See also:Alp, in See also:Uri, while the See also:Engelberg region is in Obwalden). Of this area 238.2 sq. m. (154.1 in Obwalden and 84.1 in Nidwalden) are classed as " productive," forests covering 73.8 sq. m. (47 in Obwalden and 26.8 in Nidwalden), while of the See also:rest glaciers occupy 5.2 sq. m. (3.9 in Obwalden and 1.3 in Nidwalden), the highest point in the canton being the Titlis (10,627 ft.) situated in the Obwalden See also:half. The small lakes of See also:Sarnen and of Lungern are wholly situated in Obwalden.

Obwalden, as including the Engelberg region, is far more mountainous than Nidwalden, which is rather hilly than mountainous. The inhabitants in both cases are mainly devoted to See also:

pastoral and, in a lesser degree, to agricultural pursuits. In Obwalden there are 290 " See also:alps," or See also:mountain pastures, capable of supporting 13,399 cows, and of an estimated See also:capital value of 5,474,400 fr.: the figures for Nidwalden are respectively 166, 5207 and 3,899,900. In 1900 the total See also:population of the canton was 28,330 (15,260 in Obwalden and 13,070 in Nidwalden), of whom all but the most insignificant proportion were See also:German-speaking and Romanists. Till 1814 the canton was in the See also:diocese of See also:Constance, but since then it is practically administered by the See also:bishop of See also:Coire, though legally included in no diocese. The capital of Obwalden is Sarnen (q.v.), and of Nidwalden Stans (q.v.). The other most considerable villages are all in Obwalden—Kerns (2392 inhab.), Engelberg (1973 inhab.) and Lungern (1828 inhab.). The canton is traversed by the Brunig railway See also:line from Hergiswil (in Nidwalden) to the See also:top of the pass (20 m.), but most of the electric line from Stansstad to Engelberg (14 m.) is in Nidwalden. The mountain lines up See also:Pilatus (Obwalden), the Stanserhorn, and to the Burgenstock (both in Nidwalden) are also in the canton. Each half forms a single administrative See also:district, and has its own See also:independent See also:local institutions, while in Obwalden there are 7 communes and in Nidwalden 1 i. In each the supreme legislative authority is the " Landsgemeinde," or See also:primitive democratic See also:assembly (See also:meeting in both cases on the last See also:Sunday in See also:April), composed of all male citizens of 20 (Obwalden) or 18 (Nidwalden) years of See also:age. In both cases the Landsgemeinde elects the executive for three years (Nidwalden) or four years (Obwalden), while it is composed of 11 (Nidwalden) or 7 (Obwalden) members, out of whom the Landsgemeinde elects annually the See also:chief officials.

In each half there is also a sort of " See also:

standing See also:committee " (the Landrath, Nidwalden, or Kantonsrath, Obwalden), which drafts See also:measures to be submitted to the Landsgemeinde, supervises the cantonal See also:administration. and is empowered to spend sums below a certain amount. ID each See also:case the Landrat is composed of the members of the executive, plus a certain number of members elected in each " See also:commune, " in the proportion of 1 member to every 250 inhabitants, or fraction over 125 (so Nidwalden, which allows them to hold See also:office for six years), or 1 member to every 200 inhabitants (Obwalden, which allows them to hold office for four years). These Landsgemeinden are of immemorial antiquity, while the other constitutional details are settled by the constitution of 1877 in Nidwalden, and by that of 1902 in Obwalden. In each half the single member of the Federal Standerat is elected by the Landsgemeinde, while the single member enjoyed by each in the Federal Nationalrat is chosen by a popular See also:vote, but not by the Landsgemeinde. The See also:people of the canton have always been very pious and religious. In the See also:church of Sachseln (near Sarnen) still See also:lie the bones of the See also:holy See also:hermit, See also:Nicholas von der Flue, fondly known as " Bruder Klaus " (1417-1487), while at Sarnen there are several convents, though the most famous of all the monasteries in the canton, the great See also:Benedictine See also:house of Engelberg (founded about 1120) is situated at the See also:head of the Nidwalden valley, though politically in Obwalden. At the lower end of the Nidwalden valley is Stans, the See also:home of the See also:Winkelried See also:family (q.v.). It is very remarkable that in both valleys the old " See also:common lands " are still in the hands of the old See also:gilds, and " communes " consist of natives, not merely residents, though in Obwalden these contribute to the expenses of the new "See also:political communes " of residents, while in Nidwalden the latter have to raise See also:special taxes. In Engelberg (which still retains some See also:independence) the poor are greatly favoured in the See also:division of the common lands and their proceeds, and unmarried persons (or widowers and widows) receive only half of the See also:share of those who are married. Historically, both Obwalden (See also:save a small See also:bit in the See also:Aargau) and Nidwalden were included in the Zurichgau. In both there were many great landowners (specially the See also:abbey of Murbach and the Habsburgs) and few See also:free men; while the fact that the Habsburgs were See also:counts of the Aargau and the Zurichgau further delayed the development of political freedom. Both took See also:part in the risings of 1245-47, and in 1247 Sarnen was threatened by the See also:pope with See also:excommunication for opposing its hereditary See also:lord, the See also:count of See also:Habsburg.

The alleged cruelties committed by the Habsburgs do not, however, appear in See also:

history till Justinger's See also:Chronicle, 1420 (see TELL). On the 16th of April 1291, See also:Rudolph the future See also:emperor bought from Murbach all its estates in Unterwalden, and thus ruled this district as the chief landowner, as count and as emperor. On the 1st of See also:August 1291 Nidwalden (Obwalden is not named in the See also:text of the document, though it is named on the See also:seal appended to it) formed the " See also:Everlasting See also:League " with Uri and See also:Schwyz (this being the first known case in which its common seal is used). In 1304 the two valleys were joined together under the same local See also:deputy of the count, and in 1309 See also:Henry VII. confirmed to them all the liberties granted by his predecessor —though none is known to have been granted. However, this placed Unterwalden on an equal political footing with Uri and Schwyz; and as such it took part (1315) in See also:Morgarten fight (also See also:driving back an invasion over the Briinig Pass) and in the renewal of the Everlasting League at Brunnen (1315), as well as at See also:Sempach (1386) and in driving back the Gugler or See also:English freebooters (1375). For See also:physical reasons, it was difficult for Unterwalden to enlarge its territories. Yet in 1368 it acquired Alpnach, and in 1378 Hergiswil. So too Obwalden shared with Uri in the See also:conquest of the Val Leventina (1403) and in the See also:purchase of See also:Bellinzona (1419), as well as in the loss of both (1422). It was Nidwalden that, with Schwyz and Uri, finally won (1500) and ruled (till 1798) Bellinzona, the See also:Riviera, and the Val Blernio; while both shared in conquests of the Aargau (1415), the See also:Thurgau (146o), and See also:Locarno, &c. (1512), and in the temporary occupation of the Val d' Ossola (1410-14, 1416-22, 7425-26, 1512-15). In the Burgundian See also:war Unterwalden, like the other Forest cantons, See also:long hung back through See also:jealousy of See also:Bern, but came to the rescue781 in See also:time of need. In 1481 it was at Stans that the Confederates nearly See also:broke up the League for various reasons, and it was only by the intervention then of the holy hermit Nicholas von der Flue (of Sachseln in Obwalden) that See also:peace was restored, and the great Federal agreement known as the compact of Stans concluded.

Like the other Forest cantons, Unterwalden clung to the old faith at the time of the See also:

Reformation, being a member of the " Christliche Vereinigung " (1529) and of the See also:Golden League (r586). In 1798 Unterwalden resisted the Helvetic See also:republic, but, having formed part of the See also:short-lived Tellgau, became a district of the huge canton of the Waldstatten. Obwalden submitted at an See also:early date, but Nidwalden, refusing to accept the See also:oath of fidelity to the constitution mainly on religious grounds, See also:rose in desperate revolt (See also:September 1798), and was only put down by the arrival of 16,000 armed men and by the storming of Stans. In 1803 its independence as a canton was restored, but in 1815 Nidwalden refused to accept the new constitution, and Federal troops had to be employed to put down its resistance, the See also:punishment inflicted being the See also:transfer (1816) to Obwalden of the See also:jurisdiction over the abbey lands of Engelberg (since 1462 " protected " by the four Forest cantons), which in 1798 had fallen to the See also:lot of Obwalden and had passed in 1803 to Nidwalden. Since that time the history of Unterwalden has been like that of the other Forest cantons. It was a member of the " League of Sarnen " (1832), to oppose the reforming wishes of other cantons, and of the " Sonderbund " (1845); it was defeated in the war of 1847; and it voted against the See also:acceptance of the Federal constitution both in 1848 and in 1874.

End of Article: UNTERWALDEN

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
UNNA 		[next]
UNTON (or UMPTON), SIR HENRY (c. 1557-1596)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries