SCHWYZ

The town of (, ) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
As of 2005 its population is 14,302. With the territory of 53.17 km², the population density is 269/km².
The Bundesbrief can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''.

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History of the toponym

External links

History of the toponym

The name ''Schwyz'' is first attested in 972 as the village ''Suittes'' and is parhaps related to Old High German ''suedan'' "to burn", referring to the area of forest that was burned and cleared to build^[1]. The name was extended to the area dominated by Schwyz (the Canton of Schwyz), and later to the entire Old Swiss Confederacy: while other cantons tended to resent this in the 15th century, the term ''Schwyzer'' was widely adopted as self-designation after 1499, out of spite, as it had been employed as a term of abuse by the Swabian side during the Swabian War, and ''Eidgenossenschaft'' and ''Schwytzerland'' could be used interchangeably in the 16th century.

External links

★ Municipality of Schwyz