Appenzell Innerrhoden (Swiss Canton)

The village and the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden are situated in a hilly, green landscape. It is a region known for its rural traditions such as the descent from the alpine pastures as well as for its cultural peculiarities such as music and folk dances.

Appenzell, with its Alpstein massif, is also a hiker's paradise. The Säntis, its highest peak at 2502 m, offers a magnificent view of six countries!

Appenzell, the home of the famous pungent cheese that bears its name, is the only canton, along with Glarus, to maintain a very old system of direct democracy, the Landsgemeinde.

Once the official institution of many rural cantons, the Landsgemeinde is a solemn assembly at which citizens with the right to vote elect the authorities and discuss the affairs of the country.

The assembly is held in the main square of the capital and votes are taken by show of hands. Once a year, the president of the Landsgemeinde is elected, followed by the president of the government (the Landammann) and his colleagues, the canton's representatives in the Council of States, the judges and certain civil servants.

Votes are also held here, and the result of the vote is more of an estimate than a precise calculation, which is why - together with the absence of secret ballots - this system has gradually disappeared in other cantons.