Nidwalden

Nidwalden, also called Nidwald, is one of the 26 cantons in the Swiss Confederation. It is a small place in Central Switzerland, surrounded by tall mountains. It lies south of Lake Lucerne. The main town is Stans, where the local government works.

Nidwalden is one of the smallest cantons in Switzerland. About 40,000 people live there. It touches several other cantons. To the west is Obwalden, to the north is Schwyz, to the east is Uri, and to the south is Bern.

Long ago, Nidwalden and Obwalden were part of a bigger area named Unterwalden. Unterwalden was one of the first three cantons that helped start the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1315, together with Uri and Schwyz. Later, in the 1300s and 1400s, Unterwalden divided into the two cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden.

History

The earliest signs of people living in the Nidwalden region go back to around 4000 to 3100 BC. Old settlements were found near Stansstad. More items from the Late Bronze Age (1400–1100 BC) were found near Hergiswil and Ennetmoos. A grave from 500–100 BC for a young girl was found in Stans.

During the time of the Roman Empire, the area was home to people from Gallo-Roman or Celtic backgrounds. By the 8th century, Alemanni people moved into the valleys of what is now Nidwalden. A Roman Catholic church was built in Stans by an Alemanni noble family. It was later replaced by a new church in Buochs.

In the late 1200s, the main powers in Nidwalden were the Habsburgs, Murbach Abbey, and Engelberg Abbey. In 1291, Rudolph of Habsburg bought Obwalden. This led the people of Nidwalden (with Obwalden) to join Uri and Schwyz in an alliance that helped form the Old Swiss Confederacy.

In the late 1300s and early 1400s, early forms of government began. Nidwalden and Obwalden discussed important matters together but stayed separate cantons. Obwalden did not join in taking over areas like Bellinzona, Riviera, and Blenio, which are now part of Ticino.

When French troops established the Helvetic Republic in 1798, Nidwalden resisted because they valued their self-government and freedom of worship. French forces attacked Nidwalden on September 9, 1798, and damaged the area's infrastructure.

After Napoleonic rule ended in 1814, many changes were undone. Nidwalden adopted a new constitution in 1877, and in 1997, the open assembly called the Landsgemeinde was abolished.

Geography

See also: List of mountains of Nidwalden

Nidwalden is in the middle of Switzerland. To the north, it is bordered by Lake Lucerne. All around it are mountain chains called the Urner Alps. The canton covers 276.1 square kilometers. About 40% of this land is where people live or grow food. Forests cover about one third of the area, and one quarter is mountains or glaciers that cannot be used.

Politics

Nidwalden has a local government with seven leaders and a parliament with 60 members. It also sends one representative to the Swiss Council of States.

The World Wildlife Fund studied energy policies in all Swiss cantons. Nidwalden received one of the lowest ratings. The study looked at six areas to see how well each canton is doing toward meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Municipalities

Nidwalden has eleven municipalities: Beckenried, Buochs, Dallenwil, Emmetten, Ennetbürgen, Ennetmoos, Hergiswil, Oberdorf, Stans, Stansstad and Wolfenschiessen. Stans is the main town and capital.

Demographics

The canton of Nidwalden had 43,520 people as of December 31, 2020. About 10% of these people, or 4,046, were from other countries. The number of males and females is almost the same, with a few more males.

Most people in Nidwalden speak German. In the year 2000, around 76% of the population followed the Catholic religion, and about 12% followed the Swiss Reformed Church. A very small number of people spoke Italian or Serbo-Croatian. The population density was about 144 people for every square kilometer in 2005.

Historical population

Economy

Nidwalden was mostly known for farming until the 20th century. People raised cows and made cheese to sell, especially to northern Italy. Around 1500, many people also worked as soldiers for other countries.

In the mid-1800s, trade, factories, and tourism began to grow. Farming stayed important until around the middle of the 1900s. Today, many small and medium businesses employ people. The biggest company is an airplane maker called Pilatus. These businesses work in many fields such as making machines, medical tools, selling goods worldwide, and creating optical and electronic products.

Farming and forestry are still valued today, especially raising cows and running family farms.

More people have chosen to live and work in Nidwalden in recent years. This is because the taxes are low, it is located between Zürich and Milan, and it has beautiful natural surroundings.

Tourism

Because Nidwalden has many mountains, tourism is important. The lakes and mountains attract visitors in both winter and summer. Popular places to visit include Klewenalp, Stanserhorn, the area around Bannalp, and Bürgenstock.

Culture

Nidwalden has a rich traditional culture kept by local groups. You can enjoy traditional music, yodeling, dances, theaters, and festivals. The area also has modern cultural events like concerts and art galleries.

Notes and references