Appenzell

The Landsgemeinde is the oldest and most direct form of democracy in Switzerland -- an annual open-air assembly where every eligible citizen votes by raising their right hand. The Appenzell Landsgemeinde most likely first assembled in 1378, with its first documented appearance in 1403. Held every last Sunday in April on the Landsgemeindeplatz in Appenzell, approximately 3,000 voters gather. By tradition, male voters carry a Seitengewehr (sidearm/short sword) as the symbol of a citizen's right to vote. The civic oath originates from 1409 and maintains essentially the same wording today. On 8 September 1597, the Landteilungsbrief split Appenzell into Catholic Innerrhoden and Protestant Ausserrhoden. On 28 April 1991, women participated in the Landsgemeinde for the first time.

Appenzeller cheese has a documented history of over 700 years, first mentioned in a 1282 document when the people of Appenzell used cheese as a tithe payment to the monks at the Abbey of St. Gallen. What makes Appenzeller unique is the secret herbal brine (Kraeutersulz) applied to each wheel during aging -- a recipe of 25 different herbs, roots, leaves, petals, seeds, and bark, mixed with local wine yeast. Historically, each farmer developed their own distinctive brine. Today only one official recipe remains, and it is strictly guarded. Each wheel is hand-rubbed regularly during at least three months of maturation. About 50 local cheese dairies still produce Appenzeller. The Saentis (2,501.9 m) is the highest peak in the Alpstein, where on clear days six countries are visible.

Ebenalp (1,644 m) is a dramatic cliff face in the Alpstein massif, accessible by cable car from Wasserauen. Carved into the cliff are the Wildkirchli caves -- four cavernous spaces at 1,477-1,500 m altitude. In 1903-1908, archaeologist Emil Baechler discovered flint tools identified as Mousterian, proving for the first time that Neanderthals inhabited the Alpine region approximately 40,000 years ago. The lowest cave layer contained bones from approximately 800 individual animals, primarily cave bears, as well as cave lions and wolves. Medieval people attributed the large bones to dragons. In 1658, priest Paulus Ulmann founded a chapel and hermitage in the caves; a succession of hermits lived there until the last died in 1851. The adjacent Berggasthaus Aescher, dating to around 1800, is one of Switzerland's oldest mountain inns.

The Alpaufzug (alpine ascent, May-June) and Alpabzug (alpine descent, mid-August to late September) are among Appenzell's most celebrated traditions, recognized as part of Switzerland's intangible cultural heritage under the UNESCO Living Traditions program. The bell cows (Schellenkuehe) wear three harmonized bells -- described as 'the only instruments in the world played by cows.' The lead herdsman wears traditional festive costume with yellow knee-length trousers and a red waistcoat, carrying over his shoulder the Fahreimer, a milking pail with an ornately hand-painted bottom. Behind the bell cows, four herdsmen sing and yodel, performing the wordless alpine melodies called Rugguusseli. Cattle spend 8 to 12 weeks on alpine summer pastures before the autumn descent, which is celebrated as thanksgiving for a season without accidents.

The village of Appenzell is famous for its brightly painted house facades, particularly along the car-free Hauptgasse -- featuring vivid pinks, greens, oranges, and yellows. The tradition reportedly started as a competition between houses, beginning with the Kreuz and then the Raben. The painted facades connect to Bauernmalerei (farmer painting) or Senntumsmalerei (herdsman's art), a form of naive art unique to the Appenzell region. The recognized founder was Conrad Starck (1769-1817) from Gonten, who pioneered the signature motif: the ascent to the alpine summer pastures. Bartholomaeus Laemmler (1809-1865) pioneered Sennenstreifen -- long, narrow panoramic paintings of alpine cattle drives on paper or wood.

Switzerland granted women federal voting rights on 7 February 1971, but Appenzell Innerrhoden refused to adopt cantonal women's suffrage. The all-male Landsgemeinde voted 'No' in 1973, 1982, and again in spring 1990. After the third rejection, Theresia Rohner, a potter in her mid-30s and mother of two, together with approximately 100 local women, filed a legal action with the Federal Court in Lausanne. On 27 November 1990, the Federal Court ruled unanimously that the exclusive male suffrage was unconstitutional. On 28 April 1991, women participated in the Appenzell Landsgemeinde for the first time. The victory came at personal cost: Theresia Rohner's pottery shop was attacked with stones, and she and her family required police protection. Appenzell Innerrhoden was the last jurisdiction in Europe to grant women the vote.

The Appenzeller Biber and its smaller version Biberli are traditional honey gingerbread pastries filled with almond paste, a specialty of the Appenzell region dating back nearly 500 years. Each pastry is shaped using hand-carved wooden molds that impress intricate patterns -- traditional Swiss figures, coats of arms, village festivals, or local symbols. The oldest known mold dates from 1824. The Bischofberger AG in Weissbad is the most famous producer; the Baerli-Biber brand was registered as early as 1957. The Boehli bakery in Appenzell has won two gold medals at the Swiss Bakery Trophy for its Biber. Traditionally paired with coffee, it is especially popular during the Christmas season.

Talerschwingen (coin-bowl music) is a unique Appenzell tradition: a performer rolls a five-franc coin around the inside rim of a ceramic bowl, creating a droning harmonic accompaniment to yodeling. The bowls produce intervals matching cowbell tunings, often E-G-A triads. Appenzell's folk music traditions are recognized under UNESCO's Living Traditions in Switzerland program. At the Battle of Stoss on 17 June 1405, the Appenzellers, fighting under their banner of an angry standing bear, trapped the Austrian army behind defensive earthworks called Letzinen and forced them to retreat -- a decisive victory in the Appenzell Wars for independence from the Abbey of St. Gallen. Appenzell joined the Swiss Confederation as the thirteenth full canton on 17 December 1513.