Flags of Swiss cantons
Encyclopedia
There are 26 modern cantons of Switzerland
, each of which has an official flag and coat of arms.
The history of development of these designs spans the 13th to 20th centuries.
Historically, the number of cantons was
Nidwalden and Obwalden are traditional subdivisions of Unterwalden
. Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft as well as Appenzell Inner- and Ausserrhoden are half cantons, resulting from the division of Basel
and Appenzell
, respectively.
With the Swiss Federal Constitution
of 1999, "half-canton" has ceased to be an official designation, so that the official number of cantons is now 26, the former half-cantons being now referred to as "cantons with half a cantonal vote" officially, even though they are still commonly referred to as half-cantons.
With the exception of Lucerne, Schwyz and Ticino, the cantonal coats of arms are simply arrangements of the cantonal flags in a shield shape. This fashion originates in the 15th century and became commonplace in symbolic depictions of the confederacy during the Early Modern period.
Of the 22 cantonal coats of arms as they stood with the creation of Switzerland as a federal state
in 1848, six are simple bicolor designs.
Vaud
also has a bicolor, but (against heraldic tradition) an added inscription.
The remaining 15 flags include heraldic designs, as follows:
The coats of arms of the Thirteen Cantons are based on medieval signs, originating as war flag
s and as emblems used on seals.
For war flags, a distinction was made between Banner and Fähnlein, the former was the large war flag used only in the case of a full levy of cantonal troops for a major operation. The latter was a smaller flag used for minor military expeditions. The Banner was considered a sacred possession, usually kept in a church. Losing the banner to an enemy force was a great shame and invited mockery from other cantons.
The fashion of arranging them in shields (escutcheons) as coats of arms
arises in the late 15th century.
The Tagsatzung
in Baden was presented with stained glass representations of all cantons in ca. 1501.
In these designs, two cantonal escutcheons were shown side by side, below a shield bearing the Imperial Eagle
and a crown, flanked by two banner-bearers.
Based on these, there arose a tradition of representing cantonal arms in stained glass (Standesscheibe
n), alive throughout the early modern period and continued in the modern state.
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
, each of which has an official flag and coat of arms.
The history of development of these designs spans the 13th to 20th centuries.
Historically, the number of cantons was
- eight during 1352–1481, see Eight Cantons
- thirteen during 1513–1798, see Thirteen Cantons
- twenty cantons of the Helvetic RepublicHelvetic RepublicIn Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
in 1798–1803, without official flags or coats of arms - twenty-two during 1848–1978, including three cantons divided into two half-cantons each
- twenty-three during 1979–1999, due to the secession of the canton of JuraCanton of JuraThe Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
from Bern.
Nidwalden and Obwalden are traditional subdivisions of Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
. Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft as well as Appenzell Inner- and Ausserrhoden are half cantons, resulting from the division of Basel
Basel (canton)
Basel was a canton of Switzerland that was in existence between 1501 and 1833, when it was split into the two present-day 'half-cantons' of Basel-City and Basel-Country.- Background :...
and Appenzell
Appenzell
Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen....
, respectively.
With the Swiss Federal Constitution
Swiss Federal Constitution
The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland. It establishes the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons , contains a catalogue of individual and popular rights , delineates the responsibilities of the...
of 1999, "half-canton" has ceased to be an official designation, so that the official number of cantons is now 26, the former half-cantons being now referred to as "cantons with half a cantonal vote" officially, even though they are still commonly referred to as half-cantons.
With the exception of Lucerne, Schwyz and Ticino, the cantonal coats of arms are simply arrangements of the cantonal flags in a shield shape. This fashion originates in the 15th century and became commonplace in symbolic depictions of the confederacy during the Early Modern period.
Of the 22 cantonal coats of arms as they stood with the creation of Switzerland as a federal state
Switzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12, 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution, which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the Sonderbundskrieg...
in 1848, six are simple bicolor designs.
Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
also has a bicolor, but (against heraldic tradition) an added inscription.
The remaining 15 flags include heraldic designs, as follows:
- The Swiss cross in two flags, for SchwyzSchwyzThe town of 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.-History of the toponym:...
on solid red, and for Neuchâtel in the corner of the "revolutionary" tricolor) - seven flags with heraldic animals:
- the bear for BerneBerneThe city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
and for AppenzellAppenzellAppenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen.... - the bull for UriCanton of UriUri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
- the ram for SchaffhausenSchaffhausenSchaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
- the ibex for Grisons (at the time only one of three coats of arms shown side by side for the Three LeaguesThree LeaguesThe Three Leagues was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Most of the lands of Graubünden were part of the Roman province Raetia in 15 BC...
) - the eagle for GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
- two lions for ThurgauThurgauThurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
- the bear for Berne
- the bishop's crozier or Baslerstab for BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
- the image of a pilgrim (Saint Fridolin) for GlarusGlarusGlarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus municipality since 1 January 2011 incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern....
- a key for UnterwaldenUnterwaldenUnterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
and for GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... - the fascesFascesFasces are a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade emerging from the center, which is an image that traditionally symbolizes summary power and jurisdiction, and/or "strength through unity"...
for St. Gallen - stars for ValaisValaisThe Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
and AargauAargauAargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
, the latter with additional wavy lines representing rivers
History
- See the List below for the histories of the individual designs.
The coats of arms of the Thirteen Cantons are based on medieval signs, originating as war flag
War flag
A war flag is a variant of a national flag for use by the nation's military forces on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign — the battle ensign...
s and as emblems used on seals.
For war flags, a distinction was made between Banner and Fähnlein, the former was the large war flag used only in the case of a full levy of cantonal troops for a major operation. The latter was a smaller flag used for minor military expeditions. The Banner was considered a sacred possession, usually kept in a church. Losing the banner to an enemy force was a great shame and invited mockery from other cantons.
The fashion of arranging them in shields (escutcheons) as coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
arises in the late 15th century.
The Tagsatzung
Tagsatzung
The Swiss Tagsatzung was the legislative and executive council of the Swiss confederacy from the beginnings until the formation of the Swiss federal state in 1848. It was a meeting of delegates of the individual cantons...
in Baden was presented with stained glass representations of all cantons in ca. 1501.
In these designs, two cantonal escutcheons were shown side by side, below a shield bearing the Imperial Eagle
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
and a crown, flanked by two banner-bearers.
Based on these, there arose a tradition of representing cantonal arms in stained glass (Standesscheibe
Standesscheibe
A Standesscheibe is a stained glass representation of the full coat of arms of a canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy, sometimes arranged in a complete armorial of all cantonal coats of arms of Switzerland....
n), alive throughout the early modern period and continued in the modern state.
List
| Canton | Flag | Coat of arms | Description | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich Canton of Zürich The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch... |
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Diagonally divided from the upper hoist to the lower fly into equal blue and white parts, with the blue all in the edge of the hoist. The coat of arms is supported by two lions. | The flag of Zürich is derived from a blue-and-white design attested since the 1220s, the diagnoal division of the flag is first attested 1389. The flag of Zürich was adorned by a red Schwenkel since 1273. This was regarded as a mark of sovereignty and honour by the people of Zürich, but the Schwenkel was otherwise used as a mark of "shame", identifying replacement flags used after a real flag was captured by an enemy This led to a misunderstanding after the Battle of Nancy Battle of Nancy The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine... , when the Duke of Lorraine removed the Schwenkel from the Zürich flag, stating that with the present victory, Zürich had "erased its shame". The perplexed Zürich troops later quietly re-attached the Schwenkel. Zürich attached the Swiss cross in the red Schwenkel rather than in the main flag, and this may have contributed to the development of the flag of Switzerland Flag of Switzerland The flag of Switzerland consists of a red flag with a white cross in the centre. It is one of only two square sovereign-state flags, the other being the flag of the Vatican City... (placing the white cross in a red field by default). |
| Bern |  |
On a red field a yellow diagonal band charged with a black bear walking upwards toward the hoist, with the bear's tongue, claws and penis in red. | The city of Bern is a Zähringer foundation of 1160. In the 13th century, its flag showed a black bear in a white field, changed to the current red-and-yellow diagonal arrangement in 1289. Berne also had a war flag with a simple red-and-black horizontal division. The cantonal colours remain red and black. |
|
| Lucerne Canton of Lucerne Lucerne is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton is . , the population included 57,268 foreigners, or about 15.8% of the total population. The cantonal capital is Lucerne.-History:... |
 |
The flag is horizontally divided into equal parts white over blue. The coat of arms is vertically divided, with the blue on the left and the white on the right side. | The blue-and-white flag is attested from 1386. The vertical division of the coat or arms has been explained as due to a gonfalon type of banner used by Lucerne, hung from a horizontal crossbar, which was also used as a flagstaff, so that the flag was turned by 90 degrees when carried in battle. |
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| Uri Canton of Uri Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri... |
 |
On a yellow field, a bull's head seen face on, with a red tongue and a red nose ring. | The flag originates in the 13th century. It was carried in the battles of Morgarten (1315) and Laupen (1339). One 14th century flag is preserved in the town hall of Altdorf Altdorf, Switzerland Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality covers an area of and is located at a height of above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss.-Location:... . |
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| Schwyz Canton of Schwyz Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz.... |
 |
On a red field, a small white cross with long narrow arms in the top corner of the hoist. | Schwyz used a solid red war flag (Blutbanner) from 1240. From the 14th century, a depiction of the crucifixion was sometimes shown on the flag. Pope Sixtus IV confirmed this addition in 1480, stating explicitly that the crown of thorns and the nails (Arma Christi Arma Christi Arma Christi , or the Instruments of the Passion, are the objects associated with Jesus' Passion in Christian symbolism and art.... ) should be shown. The coat of arms remained solid red throughout the 16th to 18th centuries, but from the 17th century in depictions in print (in black and white), the cross was sometimes shown. The modern design of flag and coat of arms with the cross in one corner dates to 1815. The precise definition of the proportions of the cross dates to 1963. |
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| Unterwalden (Obwalden Obwalden Obwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 33,997 of which 4,043 are foreigners. Its capital is Sarnen. The canton contains the geographical centre of Switzerland.-History:... and Nidwalden Nidwalden Nidwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 40,287 of which 4,046 are foreigners. The capital is Stans.-History:... ) |
 |
Obwalden: Divided horizontally into equal parts, the upper red and the lower white, with superimposed a key white in the red part of the field and red in the white part of the field with its ward turned toward the hoist. Nidwalden: On a red field, a white upright key with two shanks facing outwards and connected to one grip. |
The flag Unterwalden, as the canton itself, has a complicated history, on one hand due to the rivalry of the constituent half-cantons Obwalden Obwalden Obwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 33,997 of which 4,043 are foreigners. Its capital is Sarnen. The canton contains the geographical centre of Switzerland.-History:... and Nidwalden Nidwalden Nidwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 40,287 of which 4,046 are foreigners. The capital is Stans.-History:... , and on the other because its historical flag was identical to that of Solothurn Solothurn The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:... . The war flag of Obwalden was plain red and white, first recorded in 1309. Nidwalden tended to be dominated by Obwalden and usually fought under the same banner. A single key was used in the seal of Nidwalden from the mid 13th century. This seal was used for both Obwalden and Nidwalden (i.e. the united canton of Unterwalden) during the early 14th century. The addition et vallis superioris "and the upper valley" was scratched into the seal to reflect this. At this point, there was a seal (with the key) and a war flag (red-and-white), but no coat of arms. From ca. 1360, Obwalden and Nidwalden were separated into two independent territories, while keeping a single vote in the confederate diet. Because of the "and the upper valley" addition scratched into the seal, Nidwalden began using a new seal of its own, and the seal of Unterwalden, formerly the seal of Nidwalden, now was used by Obwalden. The seal of Nidwalden now showed St. Peter with his keys. Nidwalden began using the double-key as a design on its war flag from the early 15th century. The red-and-white flag of Unterwalden was now also the flag of Obwalden if both half-cantons were to be represented separately. This was the situation as the fashion of coats of arms was introduced in the late 15th century. The early Standesscheibe Standesscheibe A Standesscheibe is a stained glass representation of the full coat of arms of a canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy, sometimes arranged in a complete armorial of all cantonal coats of arms of Switzerland.... n of the first decade of the 16th century show the double-key as the coat of arms and flag of Nidwalden, while Obwalden has the red-and-white design in both its flag and its coat of arms. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the coat of arms of the combined canton of Unterwalden came to be depicted as a superposition of the red-and-white flag of Obwalden and the double-key of Nidwalden. Only in the mid 18th century does the single-key symbol (taken from the 13th-century seal) appear occasionally in coats of arms of Obwalden. This design was introduced as the official coats of arms of Obwalden in 1816, and the same design came gradually into use also for the flag of Obwalden, which also resolved the problem of the Obwalden flag being identical to that of Solothurn. |
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| Glarus Canton of Glarus The Canton of Glarus is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.The majority of the population identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic confessions.-History:According to legend, the... |
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On a red field, the figure of a pilgrim in black, walking towards the hoist and turning to face the viewer; the head and hands are white. The pilgrim has a halo around his head, a staff in his right hand and a bible in his left, all in yellow or gold. | The flag of Glarus Canton of Glarus The Canton of Glarus is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.The majority of the population identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic confessions.-History:According to legend, the... ultimately goes back to a banner of Saint Fridolin used in the Battle of Näfels Battle of Näfels The Battle of Näfels was fought on 9 April 1388 between Glarus with their allies, the Old Swiss Confederation, and the Habsburgs. It was a decisive Glarner victory despite being outnumbered sixteen to one.-History:... in 1388, because the former banner of Glarus had been captured by the people of Rapperswil Rapperswil Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On... in a previous raid. After this, Glarus used the image of the saint in its banners. During the 15th and 16th century, these images varied considerably. Only by the beginning 17th century a standard design was established, showing the Saint as a pilgrim in silver on a red field. The modern design shows the pilgrim in black, inspired by a banner shown in Glarus claimed as the original banner of 1388. The current official design dates to 1959. |
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| Zug Canton of Zug The Canton of Zug is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. It is located in central Switzerland and its capital is Zug. With 239 km² the canton is one of the smallest of the cantons in terms of area. It is not subdivided into districts.- History :The earlier history of the canton is... |
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On a white field, a horizontal blue band. | First recorded in 1319. | |
| Fribourg Canton of Fribourg The Canton of Fribourg is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the west of the country. The capital of the canton is Fribourg. The name Fribourg is French, whereas is the German name for both the canton and the town.-History:... |
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Divided horizontally into equal parts black over white. | The flag is attested from 1410, but possibly dates to the 13th century. Fribourg had an alternative coat of arms showing a white castle on a blue field until 1831. | |
| Solothurn Canton of Solothurn Solothurn is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland. The capital is Solothurn.-History:The territory of the canton comprises land acquired by the capital... |
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Divided horizontally into equal parts red over white. | 1443 (1394?) | |
| Basel (Basel-City Basel-City Basel-Stadt is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The city of Basel and the municipalities of Bettingen and Riehen form its territory.-History:... and Basel-Landschaft) |
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Basel-City: On a white field, a black bishop's crozier, with the crook turned toward the hoist. Basel-Landscha On a white field, a red bishop's crozier turned toward the fly and adorned with seven bosses on the crook. |
 Prince-Bishopric of Basel The Prince-Bishopric of Basel was a historical feudal state within the Holy Roman Empire, from 1032 ruled by Prince-Bishops, whose seat was at Basel until 1528 and in Porrentruy until 1792... . The flag of the city of Basel was introduced in the early 15th century, as the city gained greater independence from the ruling bishops of Basel The flag and coat of arms of Basel-Landschaft was introduced in 1834, from the coat of arms of Liestal Liestal Liestal is the capital of the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland, south of Basel.It is an industrial town with a cobbled-street Old Town.-History:... . |
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| Schaffhausen Canton of Schaffhausen The Canton of is a canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen.- History:Schaffhausen was a city-state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1045. It was then known as Villa Scafhusun. Around 1049 Count Eberhard von... |
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On a yellow field, a leaping black ram with golden horns, hooves, penis, and crown, and a red tongue. The cantonal colours are green and black. | The flag is documented from 1218. The crown was added to the ram in 1512. The ram was originally rampant with only the rear left hoof on the ground, but in the 1940s this was changed to the sautant position with both rear hooves on the ground. |
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| Appenzell Appenzell Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen.... (Appenzell Ausserrhoden Appenzell Ausserrhoden Appenzell Ausserrhoden is a canton of Switzerland. The seat of the government and parliament is Herisau, judicial authorities are in Trogen. Appenzell Ausserrhoden is located in the north east of Switzerland, bordering the cantons of St... and Appenzell Innerrhoden Appenzell Innerrhoden Appenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area.-Foundation:... ) |
Appenzell Innerrhoden: On a white field, an upright black bear with red claws and a red erect penis. Appenzell Ausserrhoden: The same flag as Innerrhoden with in addition the letters "V" and "R" on either side of the bear. The flag and coat of arms of Innerrhoden also serves as the design used when representing the combined half-cantons. |
 Before its independence, Appenzell had a flag of a bear marchant (on all fours) on a honeycombed field, attested from 1377. Appenzell nearly went to war with St. Gallen in 1579 after a printer omitted the penis in a depiction of the coat of arms of Appenzell. Appenzell split into its two half-cantons as a result of the Swiss Reformation, in 1597. The "VR" in the Ausserrhoden flag stands for Vssere Rhoden. |
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| St. Gallen Canton of St. Gallen The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling... |
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On a green field, a white upright fasces Fasces Fasces are a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade emerging from the center, which is an image that traditionally symbolizes summary power and jurisdiction, and/or "strength through unity"... with the axe blade facing the hoist |
The coat of arms of the city of St. Gallen St. Gallen St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic... like the cantonal coat of arms of Appenzell since the 14th century has shown the bear taken from the flag of the abbot of St. Gall. But the canton of St. Gallen is unrelated to the historical territory of its eponymous capital, having been patched together from eight unrelated territories of other Cantons in 1798. The cantonal arms and flag are an original design by David von Gonzenbach, created in 1803. In the original design, the weapon contained in the fasces was a halberd Halberd A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on... , but this was changed to the axe in 1843. There were a number of other design changes during the 20th century; from the 1930s until 1951, a black Swiss cross was placed on the axe blade to avoid association with the fasces as used as a symbol of Italian fascism Italian Fascism Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian... . |
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| Grisons |  |
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Horizontally divided into equal parts. The lower part is white with a black ibex standing upright. The upper part is divided into equal parts vertically. The upper quarter closest to the hoist is divided vertically into black and white halves. The upper quarter in the fly is quartered blue and yellow, divided by a cross which is itself quartered with the blue and yellow reversed. | The flag of Grisons was adopted in 1933. From 1815 to 1933, the canton had used various combinations of the three coats of arms of the historical Three Leagues Three Leagues The Three Leagues was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Most of the lands of Graubünden were part of the Roman province Raetia in 15 BC... . The modern design combines simplified versions of the historical coats of arms. |
| Aargau |  |
Vertically divided into equal parts, the hoist is black with a central white wavy band divided into three parts by two thin wavy blue lines. The fly is light blue with three five-pointed white stars. | Aargau (Argovia) is the ancient name of the march between Alemannia and Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very... , but it never was an independent canton historically. Since 1712, the territory of the modern canton had been divided between Zürich and Berne. The canton of Aargau was created as an administrative division of the Helvetic Republic Helvetic Republic In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud... , and its flag is an original design by Samuel Ringier-Seelmatter, dating to 1803. The current official design, specifying the stars as five-pointed, dates to 1930. |
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| Thurgau |  |
The field is divided diagonally green in the hoist and white in the fly. Each part is charged with a golden lion walking upwards toward the staff. | Like Aargau, Thurgau was historically a subject territory of the confederacy, and was created as a canton of the Helvetic Republic. The flag design is an ad-hoc creation of 1803, based on the two lions in the coat of arms of the House of Kyburg House of Kyburg The House of Kyburg was family of Grafen or counts from Zürich in Switzerland. The family was one of the three most powerful noble families in the Swiss plateau beside the Habsburg and the House of Savoy during the 11th and 12th Centuries... which ruled Thurgau in the 13th century. The green-and-white were regarded as "revolutionary" colours in 1803, also introduced in the coats of arms of St. Gallen and Vaud, but the placement of a yellow lion on white is a violation of heraldic principles, and also creates a visibility problem. There have been suggestions to correct this, including a 1938 suggestion to use a solid green field divided by a diagonal white line, but they were not successful. |
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| Ticino |  |
The flag is horizontally divided into equal parts red over blue. As in the case of Lucerne, the coat of arms is rotated by 90 degrees. | The flag is an 1803 design, but its designer or intended symbolism have not been recorded. | |
| Vaud |  |
Horizontally divided into equal parts white over green. The white part is inscribed in gold capitals with Liberté et Patrie ("Freedom and Fatherland"). | The design dates to 1803, based on the flag used in the Vaudois insurrection against Bernese rule in the 1790s, which was green and inscribed with Liberté, Egalité in white lettering. From this, the white and green became the "revolutionary" colours of cantons newly created from former subject territories of the confederacy, also used in the flags of the cantons of St. Gallen and Thurgau, and a green flag was also briefly used by Aargau. The lettering in the Vaudois flag was in black or in green during 1803–1819, the gold was introduced with the military flag as Vaud organised its army in 1819. |
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| Valais |  |
Divided vertically into equal parts white (hoist) and red (fly), with three vertical rows of stars in reverse colouring, four in each half and five along the central line. | The Bishop of Sion Bishop of Sion The Diocese of Sion is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of the Alps. The cathedral at Sion, "Notre-Dame du Glarier" was fortified by walls and crowns one of the two hills on which... used a vertically divided red-and-white war flag from ca. 1220. The coat of arms of Valais originates in 1613, as the subject territories of the bishop were united into a republic, the stars representing the individual Dixains. There were six stars in 1613, augmented to seven in 1628. In the 1803 Act of Mediation Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,... , Napoleon separated the Valais from the restored Swiss Confederacy, and in 1810 he annexed it into the Department of Simplon. At this point the number of Dixains and the number of stars in the flag was increased to twelve. The thirteenth star was added as the Valais joined the restored Swiss Confederacy in 1815, with the creation of Conthey Conthey Conthey is a municipality in the district of Conthey in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Conthey is first mentioned about 800 as curtis Contextis. In 1146 it was mentioned as ecclesiam de Plano Contesio.-Geography:... as the thirteenth Dixain. |
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| Neuchâtel Canton of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel is a canton of French speaking western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.-History:... |
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Divided vertically into three equal parts green, white and red. In the top corner of the fly is a white Swiss cross. | The flag is unrelated to the historical flag of the town of Neuchâtel, which had been in use from 1350, and as cantonal flag from 1815 until 1848, and which remains part of the town's coat of arms. The canton of Neuchâtel was admitted to the restored Swiss Confederacy in 1815, but with the peculiar reservation that it owed nominal fealty to the king of Prussia Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:... . This lingering monarchism led to a republican coup in 1848, under the flag that would later become the cantonal flag. The conflict between monarchists by 1856 threatened to devolve into full civil war, but in 1857, Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV of Prussia |align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of... renounced all claims to Neuchâtel, and the 1848 revolutionary banner was made the official cantonal flag. Use of the flag remained disputed, and during the 20th century there were three unsuccessful attempts to reintroduce the historical flag of 1350 by popular vote. |
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| Geneva Canton of Geneva The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France. As is the case in several other Swiss cantons The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland,... |
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Divided vertically into two equal parts, yellow (hoist) and red (fly). In the hoist, the left half of the black Imperial Eagle Double-headed eagle The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and... , with a crown, beak, tongue, legs and claws in red. In the fly, a yellow upright key with its ward toward the fly. |
The flag of Geneva is the historical flag of the city of Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... , showing the Imperial Eagle and a Key of St. Peter (symbolizing the status of Geneva as Reichsstadt and as episcopal seat, respectively), in use since the 15th century. The flag of the medieval bishopric of Geneva showed two golden Keys of Peter in the red field of the imperial Blutbanner since 1293. The full coat of arms of Geneva includes a crest in the form of half a sun inscribed with JHS (for Jesus Hominum Salvator), and a scroll below the shield with the motto Post Tenebras Lux. The coat of arms of the city of Geneva was adopted as the cantonal coat of arms the accession of Geneva as a city-canton to the restored Swiss Confederacy in 1815. |
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| Jura Canton of Jura The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont... |
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Divided vertically into equal parts white (hoist) and red (fly). In the hoist is a red bishop's crozier (Baslerstab) with crook turned toward the staff, and in the fly three horizontal white bands. | Jurassic separatism Jurassic separatism is a regionalist independence movement in the Bernese Jura.The "Jurassic question" is the question of secession of the Jura region from Berne, implemented partially as three of seven districts formed the Canton of Jura in 1979, while the remaining four opted to remain with... which eventually led to the canton's creation emerged in the 1940s, and the flag is a design by Paul Boesch, dated to 1943. The crozier symbolizes the former Prince-Bishopric of Basel Prince-Bishopric of Basel The Prince-Bishopric of Basel was a historical feudal state within the Holy Roman Empire, from 1032 ruled by Prince-Bishops, whose seat was at Basel until 1528 and in Porrentruy until 1792... , the seven stripes represent the seven districts of the Bernese Jura. The was officially recognized as a regional flag by Berne from 1951. The canton of Jura was created in 1979 after a referendum, but only three of the seven districts opted to join. The seven stripes were retained in the cantonal flag regardless, and there remains some irredentism calling for a restored unity of all seven districts. |
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See also
- Flag of SwitzerlandFlag of SwitzerlandThe flag of Switzerland consists of a red flag with a white cross in the centre. It is one of only two square sovereign-state flags, the other being the flag of the Vatican City...
- Cantons of SwitzerlandCantons of SwitzerlandThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...