Schwyz
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Schwyz | ||||||||||
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Population | 14,171 (December 2006) | |||||||||
- Density | 267 /km² (690 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
Area | 53.17 km² (20.5 sq mi) | |||||||||
Elevation | 516 m (1,693 ft) | |||||||||
Postal code | 6430 | |||||||||
SFOS number | 1372 | |||||||||
Mayor | Beat Bürgler | |||||||||
Localities | Schwyz, Ibach, Seewen, Rickenbach | |||||||||
Surrounded by (view map) |
Alpthal, Illgau, Ingenbohl, Lauerz, Morschach, Muotathal, Oberiberg, Rothenthurm, Sattel, Steinen | |||||||||
Website | www.schwyz.ch | |||||||||
The town of Schwyz (French: Schwyz, Italian: Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
As of 2006 its population is 14'171. With the territory of 53.17 km², the population density is 269/km².
The Bundesbrief can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.
[edit] History of the toponym
The name Schwyz is first attested in 972 as the village Suittes and is perhaps 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. von weber
[edit] References
- ^ Room, Adrian. Placenames of the World. London: MacFarland and Co., Inc., 1997.
[edit] External links
- Municipality of Schwyz (German)
- Canton of Schwyz (German)
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