Appenzell Innerrhoden
Direct democracy canton with Landsgemeinde voting and 700-year cheese traditions
Appenzell Innerrhoden maintains Switzerland's most radical form of direct democracy through the Landsgemeinde—an annual open-air assembly where 3,000 citizens vote by raised hands on the Landsgemeindeplatz in Appenzell. With just 16,100 residents (Switzerland's smallest population), the canton achieves governance at human scale where every voice literally counts. The Silvesterchlausen tradition sees men in elaborate masks go door-to-door yodeling on December 31st and again on January 13th (Julian calendar). Appenzeller cheese has been handmade using secret herbal recipes for 700 years—protected geographical indication enforced by tradition rather than bureaucracy.