Schwyz, Forum Swiss History and Bundesbriefmuseum

31 March 2021

The name “Switzerland”, in German “die Schweiz”, in French “la Suisse”, in Italian “Svizzera”, and in Romansh “Svizra”, is derived from the canton Schwyz.

This name comes from the Germanic word Sueit, sengen, or to scorch or to burn off the grass. Schwyz is not a city in the traditional medieval sense, but the canton plays a significant role in Switzerland’s history.

Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden were the first Eidgenossen and the adversaries of the Habsburgs, as well as the Einsiedeln monastery (1314: looting of the monastery, 1315: Battle of Sempach).

In 1513, the Swiss Confederation or Eidgenossenschaft consisted of 13 independent German-speaking cantons. Only Freiburg (Fribourg) was bilingual.

The Confederation was (de facto) recognised as a sovereign German-speaking state in 1648 (Peace of Westphalia).

The Napoleonic era (1798-1813), the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), and the Constitution of 1848 were crucial to the birth of modern Switzerland.

The remarkable Swiss flag has its origins in the Middle Ages and the canton of Schwyz. These Eidgenossen distinguished themselves in battle by wearing a white cross on a red background.

This history is shown in two institutes in Schwyz: the Forum Schwyz History (Forum Schweizer Geschichte, www.forumschwyz.ch, one of the three national museums (the other two are in Zurich and Prangins) and the Bundesbriefmuseum.