Canton of Glarus

The Canton of Glarus (German pronunciation: [ˈɡlarʊs] ( listen)) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus. The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German. The majority of the population (81%) identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic confessions. According to legend, the inhabitants of the Linth Valley were converted to Christianity in the 6th century by the Irish monk Saint Fridolin, the founder of Säckingen Abbey (d. 538). The Alemanni began to settle in the valley from the early 8th century. The Alemannic German language took hold only gradually, and was dominant by the 11th century. From the 9th century, the area around Glarus was owned by the Säckingen Abbey, town of...