'\'Flag of the canton'' | |
| Capital: | Glarus |
| Abbr.: | GL |
| Joined: | 1352 |
| Population: | 38,300 |
| Area: | 685 km² |
| Language: | German |
| Table of contents |
|
2 History 3 Industry 4 Municipalities 5 External links |
Geography
The canton of Glarus is dominated by the deep valley of Linth River. Most of the area is mountainous. The highest peak in the Glarus Alps is the Tödi with 3614m. Other mountains include the Hausstock (3158m) and the Glärnisch (2910m). There is a large lake called Wallensee. The total area of the canton of Glarus is 685 km², of which about half is considered productive. Forestry is important.
History
The history of this canton is dominated by religion. The inhabitants of the Linth Valley were converted to Christianity in the 6th century by the Irish monk St. Fridolin. St. Fridolin still features in the coat of arms of the canton today. He founded the convent of Säckingen near Basel. From the 9th century, the area around Glarus was owned by the convent. By 1288 the Habsburgs bit by bit claimed all the rights of the convent. This caused the people of Glarus joining the Swiss Confederation in 1352.
Between 1798 and 1803 Glarus was part of the Canton of Linth as established by Napoleon. In 1836 the constitution was adapted to unite the assemblies and establish only one Landsgemeinde.
Diary farming and cattle breeding were not replaced by industrial advances. Cattle grazes on mountain pastures. Cattle breeding and dairying are important on the mountain pastures.
Industry
The geography of the canton helped to establish slateworks in the 17th century. The mountainous surroundings of Glarus were also an advantage in industrilisation. Cotton spinning was important in the 18th century, complementing traditional woolen spinning. Industrialisation also brought cotton printing, hydroelectric plants and later metal and machinery factories, as well as paper mills.Municipalities
The 29 municipalities (Ortsgemeinden) are:
|
|