Appenzell Innerrhoden

Prehistory The earliest evidence of human activity within the canton goes back to the Paleolithic period (45'000–30'000 years ago). Excavations at the Wildkirchli caves between 1903 and 1908 revealed stone tools and bones of cave bears. The region mostly remained unpopulated wilderness until the 8th century AD (the only evidence for human presence from this interval is a Bronze Age axe found between Appenzell and Weissbad).The Romans mostly settled in the Alpine Rhine Valley and the shores of Lake Constance. Foundation The name Appenzell () means "cell (i.e., estate) of the abbot". This refers to the Abbey of St. Gall, which exerted a great influence on the area. By the middle of the 11th century, the abbots of St. Gall had established their power in the land later called Appenzell, which, too, became thoroughly Teutonized, its early inhabitants having probably been Romanized Raetians. By about 1360, conflicts over grazing rights, taxes, and tithes were causing concern for both the abbot and the farmers of Appenzell. Both parties wanted to protect their rights and interests by joining the new Swabian League. In 1377, Appenzell was allowed to join the League with the support of the cities of Konstanz and St. Gallen (the city of St. Gallen was often at odds with the neighboring Abbey of St. Gall). With the support of the League, Appenzell refused to pay many of the gifts and tithes that the Abbot Kuno von Stoffeln demanded. In response to the loss of revenue from his estates, Kuno approached the Austrian House of Habsburg for help. In 1392, he agreed with the Habsburgs, which was renewed in 1402. In response, in 1401, Appenzell allied with the city of St. Gallen to protect their rights and freedom. Independence and joining the Swiss Confederation Following increasing conflicts between the Appenzellers and the abbot's agents, including the bailiff of Appenzell demanding that a dead body be dug up because he wanted the man's clothes, In response, the League raised an army. It marched to St. Gallen before heading toward Appenzell. On 15 May 1403, they entered the pass leading to Speicher and, outside the village of Vögelinsegg, met the Appenzell army. A small force of Appenzell and Confederation troops defeated the League army, and the two sides signed a short-lived peace treaty. Following another Appenzell victory on 17 June 1405, at Stoss Pass on the border of Appenzell town, the new canton continued to expand. Following a defeat at Bregenz, Appenzell was unable to hold the Bund together. The city of St. Gallen and the canton of Schwyz each paid off the Austrians to avoid an attack, and the Bund was dissolved by King Rupert of Germany on 4 April 1408. To end the confrontation between the old and new faiths, the Landesgemeinde decided in April 1525 that each parish should choose a faith, but that the principle of free movement would be supported, so that the religious minority could attend the church of their choice regardless of where they lived. The entire Appenzell Ausserrhoden converted to the Reformation in 1529. The Innerrhoden remained with the old faith. While the majority of the residents of Appenzell town remained Catholic under Pastor Diepolt Huter, there was a strong Reformed minority. In 1531, the minority were nearly successful in getting the town to ally with the Protestant Ausserrhoden. But an armed mob of angry residents from the neighboring village of Gonten prevented the abolition of the Mass in Appenzell. The Catholic victory in the Second War of Kappel in 1531 ended plans for a reformation of the entire Canton of Appenzell. Appenzell Innerrhoden was the canton with the smallest percentage of approval votes (at 50.8% compared to the Swiss-wide average of 64.1%) in the "Marriage for All" referendum completed on 26 September 2021, making it the most hesitant canton for equal marriage for gay and lesbian citizens. ==Geography==

Most of the canton is pastoral, despite being largely mountainous. The Säntis peak in the Appenzell Alps is one of the main attractions of the canton. The main river is the Sitter. There are three small mountain lakes, located in the Alpstein massif: Seealpsee, Sämtisersee, and Fälensee. Two small monasteries, Wonnenstein in Teufen and Grimmenstein in Walzenhausen, are exclaves of the canton in Appenzell Ausserrhoden. ==Politics==

Appenzell is the capital of this canton. The constitution was established in 1872. Citizens from the canton assemble each year on the last Sunday of April for the Landsgemeinde (general assembly) in a square in Appenzell; they elect the cantonal government and judiciary, accept the oath of the elected members, and vote on several issues on the agenda; about 4000 citizens usually participate. It also was the canton with the strongest support (71%) for the minaret ban in the 2009 Swiss minaret referendum and the lowest support (51%) in the 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum. Political subdivisions In Appenzell Innerrhoden, districts () are the lowest administrative division, as the canton has no municipalities (except for the Feuerschaugemeinde, a special-purpose municipality for firefighting, energy, and water for the town of Appenzell). The districts are functionally equivalent to municipalities elsewhere in Switzerland, and are generally shown as municipalities on maps, etc. The canton is divided into five districts: • Appenzell • Gonten • Oberegg • Schlatt-Haslen • Schwende-Rüte On 1 May 2022, the former districts of Rüte and Schwende merged to form the new district of Schwende-Rüte. Government in 2010 The State Commission (Standeskommission) constitutes the executive government of the canton of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of seven councillors (), each presiding over a department (Departement) comprising several offices and bureaus. The president of the executive department acts as an executive president (regierender Landammann). In the mandate period (Legislatur) 2019 – 2021, the State Commission is presided over by regierender Landammann Roland Dähler. The regierende Landammann and the stillstehender Landammann (stationary president) are switched every two years. Departmental tasks, coordination measures, and implementation of laws decreed by the canton's parliament, the Grosse Rat, and the Landsgemeinde, as well as legal judgments, are carried out by the State Commission. The regular (re-)election of the State Commission by the Landsgemeinde is held every year. Any resident of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the State Commission. The assignment of the departments for the Säckelmeister (minister of finance), Landeshauptmann (country's captain), Bauherr (minister of building and civil engineering), and Landesfähnrich (country's ensign) is given by their roles. The departments of education, economics, and health and social services are assigned by the collegiate to the two Landammänner and the Statthalter. , Appenzell Inner-Rhodes' State Commission is made up of two members of the CVP (Christian Democratic People's Party), one member of the SVP (Swiss People's Party), and four independents of whom one is currently also the president. The last regular election (Landsgemeinde) was held on 28 April 2019. Grosser Rat The Grosser Rat or Grand Council is composed of 50 members, elected in the six districts of the canton. In five of the six districts, the election takes place once a year in the annual session of the district equivalent of the Landsgemeinde and therefore takes place in the open. In the other district, Oberegg District, which forms two small exclaves of the canton a few kilometres northeast of the rest, a separate ballot is held in May. The most important tasks of the Council are providing preliminary advice on the constitutional and legislative proposals to be placed before the Landsgemeinde. Also, the issuing of regulations to enforce the canton's legislation and supervision of all the cantonal authorities. The Council reviews and approves the annual financial statements and sets the budget and the tax rates. Federal elections • National Council (Nationalrat): Thomas Rechsteiner, 2019 • Council of States (Ständerat): Daniel Fässler, 2019 ==Demographics==

The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 1,510 foreigners, or about 9.76% of the total population. Owing to the split of Appenzell along religious lines, the population () is mostly Roman Catholic (81%), with a small Protestant minority (10%). Historical population The historical population is given in the following table: ==Economy==

Cattle breeding and dairy farming are the main agricultural activities: Appenzeller cheese is widely available throughout Switzerland. Somewhat before the early 2000s, the countryside of Appenzell Innerrhoden became popular with nudists, and at the 2009 Landsgemeinde the canton's residents voted to prohibit naked hiking. However nudists who appealed against their fines to the federal court have been reimbursed by the local authorities, as nudism is not a crime under Swiss federal law which takes precedence. It is common for cars rented in Switzerland to be registered in Appenzell Innerrhoden, and thus have license plates starting with "AI", because of the reduced tax on cars in this canton. ==Transport==

Regional rail in Appenzell Innerrhoden and neighbouring areas is provided by St. Gallen S-Bahn, with some services also being part of the Bodensee S-Bahn. Services are operated by Appenzell Railways (, AB) over its meter gauge lines. PostAuto buses serve towns and villages within the canton. Rail and bus services operate within the . Several cable cars provide access to mountains. The nearest airports are St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport and Zurich Airport. ==See also==