HISTORY OF SWITZERLAND Regional Coats of Arms
History of Switzerland: Introduction / Sitemap A Short History of Switzerland History of Switzerland: Detailed Timeline  Early Swiss History
Prehistory: Lake-dwellings in Switzerland Swiss History: Celtic Helvetians Switzerland during the Age of Romans, Aventicum Aventicum, Old Swiss Capital in the Age of Romans Switzerland during the Middle Ages  Old Swiss History
The Old Swiss Confederacy (1291-1515) William Tell (Switzerland's National Hero) The Swiss Reformation (Calvin, Zwingli)  A Modern Constitution
Swiss Revolution and Helvetic Republic (1798) Switzerland's Federal Constitution (1848) History of Switzerland's Flag Switzerland's Political System The Long Way to Women's Right to Vote  Industrialisation
Industrialisation in Switzerland Johanna Spyri: Heidi, the girl from the alps - A bestseller about times of change  World War II
World War II: General Timeline Switzerland's Role in World War II Spiritual Defense against Nazism Switzerland's Economic Dependence and Rationing Jewish Refugees Looted Assets Switzerland's Neutrality Switzerland's National Public Radio Station Beromünster  Country & People
Basic information about Switzerland - country profile Switzerland's Population and Languages Important Swiss monuments: pictures and meaning  Links
Links: History Swiss Museums Links: Switzerland

Swiss Regional Coats of Arms

Coat of Arms of Canton Zurich
1351		 Coat of Arms of Canton Berne
1353		 Coat of Arms of Canton Lucerne
1332		 Coat of Arms of Canton Uri
1291		 Coat of Arms of Canton Schwyz
1291		 Coat of Arms of Canton Obwalden
1291		 Coat of Arms of Canton Nidwalden
1291
Coat of Arms of Canton Glarus
1352		 Coat of Arms of Canton Zug
1352		 Flag of Switzerland
 Coat of Arms of Canton Fribourg
1481		 Coat of Arms of Canton Solothurn
1481
Coat of Arms of Canton Schaffhausen
1501		 Coat of Arms of Canton Basel-Stadt
1501		 Coat of Arms of Canton Baselland
1501		 Coat of Arms of Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden
1513
Coat of Arms of Canton Appenzell Innerrhoden
1513		 Coat of Arms of Canton St. Gallen
1803		 Coat of Arms of Canton Graubünden (Grisons)
1803		 Coat of Arms of Canton Aargau
1803
Coat of Arms of Canton Thurgau
1803		 Coat of Arms of Canton Ticino
1803		 Coat of Arms of Canton Vaud
1803		 Coat of Arms of Canton Valais / Wallis
1815		 Coat of Arms of Canton Neuchâtel
1815		 Coat of Arms of Canton Geneva
1815		 Coat of Arms of Canton Jura
1979

Switzerland is a federal republic situated in central Europe. Today it consists of 26 federal states called Cantons. Each canton has its own coat of arms or flag. The history of Switzerland as a nation began in 1291, when three cantons in central Switzerland decided to defend their rights against the counts of Habsburg and to help each other in doing so. This is the beginning of the Old Swiss Confederacy. Until 1513 several members joined the confederacy.

Some people think Switzerland was the first modern democracy. This is only half of the truth, actually. While people in some cantons and cities could indeed participate in the political process, a majority of Switzerland's inhabitants had no political rights at all until the Swiss Revolution of 1798 eliminated the old structures and replaced them with a centralistic democracy according to the model of the French Revolution (1789). This did, however, not work well and in 1803 Switzerland returned to a federalistic system while keeping up to the revolutionary principles of freedom, equality and solidarity. Six new member cantons (former territories without political rights) were admitted to the new Confederation. In 1815 three cantons returned to Switzerland that had been annexed by France (Napoleon!) after 1798 for strategic reasons.

For centuries, people in Switzerland identified themselves foremost with their canton. During the 19th and 20th centuries, however, industrialization led to an enormous migration inside Switzerland, so that many swiss citizens do not live where their families originated once any longer. When Switzerland's flag was officially introduced in 1848 to mark a new age (modern federal constitution!), there was quite some opposition and many citizens wanted to stay with their cantonal flags.

I have not attempted to count flags in gardens - there are thousands of them all over Switzerland - but according to what I see when walking around in different regions of Switzerland, I would estimate that today more than 90% of the single flagposts in the country will carry Switzerland's national flag, while cantonal and local flags are placed on additional flagposts, if at all.

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