Landsgemeindeplatz

The Landsgemeindeplatz is the main square of Appenzell, the small capital of the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden in north-eastern Switzerland, and one of the few places in the world where a citizens’ assembly still meets in the open air to make laws. On the last Sunday of April, the square fills with the voters of the canton for the Landsgemeinde, the cantonal assembly, in which men and women who are entitled to vote stand in the square and decide, by raising their hands, on the laws, budgets and elections of the canton. The procedure goes back to the Middle Ages, and Appenzell Innerrhoden is one of the last cantons in which it survives, a living form of direct democracy.

The ritual of the Landsgemeinde has its own customs. The cantonal officials, led by the Landammann, who is the head of government, march to the square in a procession with a band, in traditional dress, and the voters gather in rows facing a raised platform. The men traditionally carry a sword or bayonet as a sign of their right to vote, which makes the scene look very different from a modern election, and the assembly opens with a prayer and a song. Votes are counted by eye, and the officials decide which side has a majority. The assembly is open to the public, and visitors may stand at the edges, though the space is crowded and the formal parts are conducted in the local dialect.

The rest of the year, the square is the centre of the town. It is a broad open space surrounded by painted and ornamented houses, hotels, cafés and shops, and it is the starting point for the main street, the Hauptgasse, which is lined with colourful facades and signs. The Parish Church of Saint Maurice, with its tall tower, stands nearby and gives the town its skyline, and the town hall, the courthouse and the museum are within a few minutes’ walk. In summer the square is used for markets and events, and it is a good place to sit with a coffee and a slice of the local pastry, the biberli, a gingerbread-type biscuit with a sweet almond filling.

For visitors, Appenzell offers a very different picture of Switzerland from the glossy mountain resorts, and the square is one of Switzerland’s most distinctive civic spaces. The town is small and traditional, with a strong sense of local identity, and the surrounding hills are a landscape of green pastures, farmhouses and the dramatic limestone peaks of the Alpstein. The Brauerei Locher, the Appenzell Museum and the show dairy are within easy reach, and the cable cars to the Ebenalp and the Schäfler start from Wasserauen, a short train ride away.

The square suits anyone interested in Swiss politics and customs, as well as travellers who want to see a traditional town. If you can, plan a visit for the last Sunday in April, though accommodation then books out early.