According to legend, the inhabitants of theLinth Valley were converted toChristianity in the 6th century by theIrish monkSaint Fridolin, the founder ofSäckingen Abbey in what is now theGerman state ofBaden-Württemberg. From the 9th century, the area aroundGlarus was owned by Säckingen Abbey, the town of Glarus being recorded asClarona. TheAlemanni began to settle in the valley in the early 8th century. The Alemannic German language took hold only gradually and was dominant by the 11th century. By 1288, theHabsburgs had claimed all the abbey's rights.
Glarus joined theOld Swiss Confederacy in 1352 as one of the foundational eight cantons (Acht Orte) of the period of 1353–1481. The first recordedLandsgemeinde of Glarus took place in 1387. Habsburg's attempts to reconquer the valley were repelled in theBattle of Näfels of 1388. A banner depicting Saint Fridolin was used to rally the people of Glarus at that battle, and from that time, Glarus has used the image of Saint Fridolin onits flags and in its coat of arms.
TheCounty of Werdenberg was annexed to Glarus in 1517.Between 1506 and 1516, the later reformerHuldrych Zwingli was a priest in Glarus, but Glarus remained Catholic, and by 1564, all of Zwingli's followers were eliminated. This, however, did not end the struggles between the Protestants and the Catholics in the area. To secure peace it was decided that each party should have its own assembly (Landsgemeinde) in 1623, and at a later stage in 1683, each side was granted the right to have its own tribunals.
Between 1798 and 1803, Glarus was part of thecanton of Linth as established byNapoleon. In 1836 the constitution was adapted to unite the assemblies and establish a singleLandsgemeinde.
In the early 1840s, after several years of failed crops and as food became scarce, much of the canton found itself deep in poverty. With more workers than available jobs,emigration to theUnited States of America was seen as a solution. The Glarus Emigration Society was established in 1844, which offered loans to help residents purchase land in the New World. Many of the resulting emigrants went to the state ofWisconsin, where they founded the town ofNew Glarus.[4]
On May 6, 2007, Glarus became the first Swiss canton to lower the voting age to 16.[5]
The canton of Glarus is dominated by the deep valley of theLinth River and the smallerSernftal on the east. Most of the area ismountainous. The highest peak in theGlarus Alps is theTödi at 3,614 meters (11,857 ft). Other mountains include theHausstock (3,158 meters (10,361 ft)) and theGlärnisch (2,910 meters (9,550 ft)). The canton contains part of a thrust fault that was declared a geologicUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, under the nameSwiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, in 2008. Famous outcrops in the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona include those atLochsite nearGlarus and in a mountain cliff calledTschingelhörner betweenElm andFlims (in the same cliff is a natural hole called theMartinsloch). There is also a large lake called Walensee (Lake Walen) on the north. The total area of the canton of Glarus is 685 square kilometers (264 sq mi), of which about half is considered productive. Forestry is an important branch of industry in the canton.
The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) is 40,851.[2] As of 2007[update], the population included 7,314 foreigners (or 19.13% of the total population).[6]
Electrical power fromKlöntalersee is one of the canton's main export services.
The canton's geography helped establish slate works in the 17th century. The mountainous surroundings of Glarus also served as an advantage in industrialisation. Cotton spinning was important in the 18th century, complementing traditional woollen spinning. Industrialisation also brought cotton printing, hydroelectric plants, metal and machinery factories, and paper mills.
In 2014, about 5% of the workers in Glarus worked in the primary sector (the total for all of Switzerland is 3.3%). Of these 5%, in 2008, nearly three-quarters were involved indairy farming andcattle breeding. In 2014 the secondary sector employed 8,322 or about 38.2% of the total, which is much higher than 21.8% for the entire country. Over one-quarter of those in the secondary sector worked in the construction industry. The tertiary sector employed 12,366, or about 56.8% of the total, almost 18% lower than 74.9% nationwide. Of those in the tertiary sector, 11.72% work in retail shops and 10.37% are in health care.[9]
Regional rail within the canton of Glarus and neighbouring areas is provided bySt. Gallen S-Bahn andZurich S-Bahn (theS27 rush-hour service is part of neither network).Ziegelbrücke, located just outside the cantonal border, is an important nodal station in the region, served also by long distanceInterRegio trains.PostAuto,Sernftalbus and other bus operators serve towns and villages within the canton. Rail and bus services operate within theOstwind tariff network [de].[10]
