EinsiedelnEinsiedeln (ˈaɪnziːdl̩n) is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. There was no permanent settlement in the area prior to the early medieval period, but numerous artefacts left by prehistoric hunters, dated to the Mesolithic to Bronze Age were recovered. The original "hermitage" is associated with St. Meinrad, a Benedictine monk family of the Counts of Hohenzollern.
SchwyzThe town of Schwyz (ʃviːts; Schwytz; Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum. The official language of Schwyz is (the Swiss variety of) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. The earliest certain record of the name dates to 972, recorded in Medieval Latin as villa Suittes.
MuotathalMuotathal is a village and a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The eponymous valley, the Muotatal, is formed by the Muota, which joins Lake Lucerne at Brunnen. Muotathal is first mentioned in 1246 as Muthathal and Mutetal. In 1799, during Suvorov's Swiss campaign (part of War of the Second Coalition), a numerically smaller Russian rearguard fought the French troops here in the Muotatal, inflicting a heavy defeat on them, thus saving the Imperial Russian Army from possible destruction.
UnteribergUnteriberg is a village and municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. Besides the village of Unteriberg, the municipality includes the villages of Studen, Waag, Stöcken and Herti. Unteriberg is first mentioned around 1217-22 as Yberge. Until the separation, in 1884, into Unteriberg and Oberiberg the independent municipality was known simply as Iberg. Unteriberg is the hometown of noted ski racer Wendy Holdener. The municipality of Unteriberg lies in the valleys of the Sihl, Waag and Minster rivers, at the southern end of the artificial Sihlsee.
AlpthalAlpthal is a village and municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. Besides the village of Alpthal, the municipality includes the ski resort of Brunni, and settlement of Eigen. Alpthal is first mentioned in 1018 as Albetal. A branch of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route connected Einsiedeln with Schwyz via Alpthal and the Haggenegg. Winter tourism first came to Alpthal in 1950, with the opening of the cable car from Brunni to the Holzegg.
IllgauIllgau is a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. Illgau is first mentioned in 1370 as Ilgoe. Illgau has an area, , of . Of this area, 62% is used for agricultural purposes, while 31.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). It consists of the village sections of Illgau, Vorder Oberberg and Hinter Oberberg as well as scattered farm houses.
Canton of SchwyzThe canton of Schwyz (Kanton Schwyz ʃviːts Chantun Sviz; Canton de Schwytz; Canton Svitto) is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz. It is one of the founding cantons of Switzerland; Switzerland's name is derived from the name of the canton, and the flag of Switzerland from its coat of arms. For the history of the name, see Schwyz. The Swiss Federal Charter is on display in Schwyz.
