Hotel Appenzell & Gasthaus Hotel Hof. Landsgemeindeplatz, Appenzell village, Switzerland, Europe.

Hotel Appenzell and Gasthaus Hotel Hof (left) are good places to stay at Landsgemeindeplatz in Appenzell village, Switzerland, Europe. As Switzerland’s most traditional canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden still publicly debates all elections and parliamentary business in the historic village square Landsgemeindeplatz, with citizens voting directly by a show of hands. In this rare form of government, every year on the last Sunday in April, around 3000 eligible voters gather in the Landsgemeinde, or open-air assembly. The region is so conservative that women were not allowed to vote until 1991. Among state governments worldwide, direct democracy by citizens (without intermediaries) now only exists in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. Sadly, Landsgemeindeplatz is parking lot the rest of the year; whereas a special traffic-free park honoring their direct parlamentary system would be more aesthetic. Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's smallest-population canton, and second smallest by area. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.

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Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 8981x5421 / 9.5MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; 2016SwissShow Art Work Europe Panorama PhotoBest Switzerland architecture art building city history past people recreation sports urban
Contained in galleries: 2016 ALL images SWITZERLAND, ALPS: favorites (FRANCE, ITALY, SLOVENIA, SWITZERLAND), SWITZERLAND: 2016 favorites, SWITZERLAND: favorites, SWITZERLAND: Appenzell

Hotel Appenzell and Gasthaus Hotel Hof (left) are good places to stay at Landsgemeindeplatz in Appenzell village, Switzerland, Europe. As Switzerland’s most traditional canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden still publicly debates all elections and parliamentary business in the historic village square Landsgemeindeplatz, with citizens voting directly by a show of hands. In this rare form of government, every year on the last Sunday in April, around 3000 eligible voters gather in the Landsgemeinde, or open-air assembly. The region is so conservative that women were not allowed to vote until 1991. Among state governments worldwide, direct democracy by citizens (without intermediaries) now only exists in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. Sadly, Landsgemeindeplatz is parking lot the rest of the year; whereas a special traffic-free park honoring their direct parlamentary system would be more aesthetic. Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's smallest-population canton, and second smallest by area. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.