- Toggenburg
Infobox Former Country
native_name = "Grafschaft Toggenburg"
conventional_long_name = County of Toggenburg
common_name = Toggenburg|
continent = Europe
region = Alps
country = Switzerland
era = Middle Ages
status = Vassal
empire = Holy Roman Empire
government_type = Principality|
year_start = 10th century
year_end = 1468|
event_start =
date_start = before1044
event1 = Partitioned
date_event1 =1394
event2 = Comital line extinct
date_event2 =1436
event3 = Old Zürich War
date_event3 =1440 –46
event4 = Inherited byRaron
date_event4 = "Uncertain"
event_end = Sold to the Abbot of St Gall
date_end = |
p1 =
image_p1 =
s1 = Abbey of St. Gall
image_s1 = |
|
image_map_caption = The old "Bestandteile" of theCanton of St. Gall , showing the County of Toggenburg in pink.|
capital = Lichtensteig|
footnotes =Toggenburg is the name given to the upper valley of the river Thur, in the Swiss
Canton of St. Gallen . Currently, it is one of the eight constituencies into which the canton is divided.The valley descends in a northwestern direction from the watershed between the
Rhine and the Thur, and is enclosed on the northeast by the chain of theSäntis (8216 ft.) and on the southwest by that of theChurfirsten (7576 ft.) and of the Speer (6411 ft.). It is a fertile valley of about 45 kilometers in length from the source of the river toWil on the railway line betweenWinterthur andSt. Gallen . The upper half is traversed by an excellent road, while from Nesslau there is a railway to Wil (155 m.).At
Wildhaus , the highest village (3632 ft.), the house whereinHuldrych Zwingli , the Swiss Reformer, was born in1484 , is still shown. Other villages areLichtensteig , Kirchberg andWattwil .The extinction of the main line of the
counts of Toggenburg (1436 ) led to theOld Zürich War (1440 –46) ultimately resulting in the temporary expulsion of Zürich from the Swiss confederacy. Eventually, the Toggenburg passed to the lord ofRaron (inValais ), who sold it in1468 to theabbot of St. Gall .Part of the Toggenburg followed the
Swiss Reformation led by Zwingli, and the valley declared itself independent in 1530, but was forced to re-submit to the Abbot of St. Gall in 1538. The Abbot was, however, pressured into toleration of either confession, so that the Toggenburg became one of the few regions of Switzerland where Catholicism and Protestantism have a tradition of co-existence. In 1707, the Toggenburg again declared its independence of St. Gall, in reaction to the Abbey's plans to build a road across theRicken , which was seen as a strategic arrangement towards a Catholic military alliance. The ensuingToggenburg war of1712 resulted in a balance of power between Catholic and Protestant cantons, ultimately leading to the formation ofSwitzerland as a federal state .In the
Helvetic Republic , the Toggenburg was divided between the cantons of Säntis and Linth. The parts were re-united as part of thecanton of St. Gallen in1803 .Gallery
References
*1911
External links
*http://www.toggenburg.org tourist information in German
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