Appenzell, Switzerland - A Small Swiss Town

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When Catherine and I left Lucerne, we drove to Appenzell had dinner and rented a room for the night.

Appenzell is both a canton and a town of 5,000 in Eastern Switzerland. It is most famous for its annual Landesgemeinde, an open-air parliament where citizens vote directly on major issues instead of trusting elected officials to make decisions for them. Only men were allowed to vote until 1991, when the Swiss Supreme Court ruled that excluding women was unconstitutional.

On special occasions, you'll see Appenzellers decked out in regional costume, and Appenzell has long been one of Switzerland's most active centers for yodeling, alphorn playing, and other expressions of Swiss musical tradition. The local houses are also distinctive, with their painted facades and attached barns.

I never understood the Swiss affection for gnomes.

We rented a room (zimmer) in a house in Appenzell. The rooms were basic but clean and comfortable.


Appenzell is alsp known for Appenzeller cheese, a hard cow's-milk cheese produced in this region.

The outside of the house where we rented a room.

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