Oberland (
German for ''Highlands'') was the name of a
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
of the
Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
(1798–1803), corresponding to the area of the
Bernese Oberland, with its capital at
Thun.
History
After the
Napoleonic invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the old Bernese order was broken up and the Oberland separated from the rest of the canton. Within the new canton, historic borders and traditional rights were not considered. As there had been no previous separatist feeling amongst the conservative population, there was little enthusiasm for the new order.
The 1801
Malmaison Constitution proposed reuniting the Oberland with Bern, but it was not until the
Act of Mediation, two years later, with the abolition of the Helvetic Republic and the partial restoration of the
''ancien régime'', that the two cantons were reunited.
Districts
During its short-lived existence, the canton was administered in ten
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
, each named for the district seat, except where shown:
*
Aeschi
*
Brienz
Brienz ( , , ) is a village and municipality on the northern shore of Lake Brienz, at the foot of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain, and in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. Besides the village of Brienz, the municipality includes the sett ...
*
Frutigen
*
Interlaken (district seat:
Wilderswil)
*
Oberhasli (
Meiringen)
*
Saanen
*
Upper Simmental (
Zweisimmen)
*
Lower Simmental (
Erlenbach)
*
Thun
*
Unterseen
Notes and references
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberland, Canton
Cantons of the Helvetic Republic
Former cantons of Switzerland