The agreement was signed in the town of Rütli, which is located on the shore of Lake Lucerne in the canton of Schwyz. This place is considered a historic shrine, although it is merely a grass-covered field where the flag of the Swiss Confederation is planted. Later, military leaders met in Rütli more than once to discuss another crisis situation. This tradition continued until 1940. The last time the high command held a council at which actions of the Swiss troops were planned in case of a threat of German invasion.
In 1991, in Rütli, to mark the 700th anniversary of the signing of the alliance, the so-called Swiss Path was laid out. The 35-kilometer section is divided into 26 parts, which symbolize the Swiss cantons and half-cantons. Innate precision and neatness made the Swiss carefully calculate the length of each segment in proportion to the population of a given canton. Memorial monuments are installed along the path.
Another feature of the Swiss mentality is extreme caution and deliberation of every step, gradualness in implementing one's plans, reluctance to go ahead bluntly. It was this path that the cantons of Schwyz, Unterwalden and Uri took to achieve sovereignty and proceeded to expand their alliance. A peculiar catalyst in this process was the general hatred of the cantons towards the powerful Habsburg dynasty, which played by no means a minor role in the Holy Roman Empire. The first expansion of the confederation occurred thanks to the victory of the confederates over the Habsburgs in the war of 1315. As a result, in the town of Brunnen, on the other shore of Lake Lucerne, but still in the same canton of Schwyz, a new treaty was signed, significantly supplementing the previous one concluded in Rütli. This event was of great importance. All the grievances of the cantons against the Habsburgs, accumulated over many years, burst out and gave an impetus to unification. Following the 'forest cantons,' almost all cantons joined the confederation (albeit gradually).
The history of the Swiss Confederation knows many ups and downs. Once the confederation even ceased to exist - under the blows of Napoleon's troops, a united and indivisible Helvetic Republic was formed, which fell completely under the control of France. The latter drew economic and human resources from the republic, including recruiting soldiers for Napoleon's army, which was waging war against the Austro-Russian coalition. In 1812, after the defeat of the French, Switzerland regained independence and preserved its territorial borders.
Currently, the Swiss Confederation includes 23 cantons, three of which (Unterwalden, Appenzell and Basel) are divided into half-cantons. Residents of each canton and half-canton are very jealous of their internal independence (each canton has its own government and its own laws) and of adherence to the highest principles of democracy (any more or less significant decision is made on the basis of a referendum). Switzerland (named after the canton of Schwyz - the first canton that proposed to unite) retains the international status of a neutral state. This principle also extends to the economic sphere: the Swiss still refuse to join the European Union. The main judge in this matter is History, which we remembered today, on the Birthday of the Swiss Confederation.