Stans

History

Stans is one of the oldest settlements in the entire Nidwalden valley. The first traces of human settlement date to the second century BC. During the Roman era there is little evidence of a settlement except for some Gallo-Roman Ustrinum or funeral pyres and the Latin root (stagnum meaning a pool or sump) of the name Stans. By 1291, when Unterwalden joined Uri and Schwyz in what became the Swiss Confederation, Stans was already the capital of the section known as Unterwalden nid dem Kernwald which would become the half canton of Nidwalden. In 1386, during the Battle of Sempach, a soldier from Stans, Arnold von Winkelried, is claimed to have thrown himself on the pikes of the Habsburg army which led the Swiss to victory. However it is doubtful whether he existed or died in the battle as the first mention of his selfless act appears over 150 years after the battle and a man who may have been Arnold was party to a lawsuit in 1389. Regardless, the legend is firmly in place in Stans, with a monument and his house located in the town. Following the Swiss victories in the Burgundian Wars the Old Swiss Confederation was nearly torn apart by internal conflict when the city cantons insisted on having the lion's share of the proceeds since they had supplied the most troops. The country cantons resented this and the Tagsatzung or leadership of each of the cantons met in Stans in 1481 to resolve the issues. However, they were unable to resolve the issues and war seemed inevitable. A local hermit, Niklaus von der Flüe, was consulted on the situation. He requested that a message be passed on to the members of the Tagsatzung on his behalf. The details of the message have remained unknown to this day, however it did calm the tempers and led to the drawing up of the Stanser…

Geography

The area of Stans is . Much of the land within the borders of Stans is agricultural (43.7%), while just over a third (36.5%) is forested. Of the remaining area, about 17% is settlements and less than 2.6% is unproductive (mountains, rivers or glaciers). The highest point within the borders of Stans is on the Stanserhorn and is above sea level. The lowest point is at Fronhofen where the elevation is . The village square (Dorfplatz) has an elevation of . Stans has an average of 137.7 days of rain per year and on average receives of precipitation. The wettest month is August when Stans receives an average of of precipitation on 13.6 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is June, with an average of 14.2, but with only of precipitation. The driest month of the year is January with an average of of precipitation over 13.6 days.

Most-observed species

• Meadow Brown

  Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  5,342
• Annual Fleabane

  Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. · Magnoliopsida
  5,159
• Butterfly-bush

  Buddleja davidii Franch. · Magnoliopsida
  4,344
• Ringlet

  Aphantopus hyperantus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  2,685
• Common Toad

  Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Amphibia
  2,307
• Common Blue

  Polyommatus icarus (von Rottemburg, 1775) · Insecta
  2,231
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,021
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,953

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2026-04-26
  4 km N of Quarten, Switzerland
• M 4.1 — 2025-07-21
  4 km E of Frutigen, Switzerland
• M 3.5 — 2024-06-27
  1 km SSW of Todtmoos, Germany
• M 4.2 — 2024-06-04
  2 km NNW of Unteriberg, Switzerland
• M 3.8 — 2022-09-01
  2 km WSW of Sevelen, Switzerland
• M 2.7 — 2022-08-23
  4 km S of Turtmann, Switzerland