1891 Ebnat-Kappel
Actual 45 mm size by Hughes Bovy, Louis Furet, Genf / J. Stauffacher
Obverse.
Traditionally attired distinguished gentlemen, of gladsome disposition, stand in unison holding aloft the floral crown of victory. The one on the left grips the barrel of his dependable marksman rifle of many years. With a mirthful grin upon his wrinkly bearded face, his left hand lifts in triumph the flowering wreath for the champion of the shooting compete.
Joining with likewise euphoria, the other gentleman wearing a traditional skullcap, fine bowtie and waistcoat, lifts with his right hand the same winner’s wreath. He stands almost casually with his hand at the waist, his right foot over the left. His smiling demeanour leaves no doubt that a joyous celebration awaits them.
The proud heraldry blazon of St Gallen, emblem of fasces axe face left, bound with six wooden rods, depicting magisterial power, law and governance. It takes pride of place in the center, encircled by branches of laurels, bound by delicate ribbons.
Inscriptions.
Unsere Kunst und unsere Kraft dem Vaterlande!
– Our Skills and Our Strength to the Fatherland!
Reverse.
The blazon coat of arms of the county of Toggenburg, symbolised by the canting dog emblem, was once upon a time land acquired by the Abbot of Saint Gallen. The shield rests on a bedding of rare edelweiss alpine flowers.
Background.
In 1207, abbot Ulrich von Sax becomes a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire by King Philip of Swabia. The abbey became a Princely Abbey, and as the abbey became more involved in local politics, it entered a period of decline. The city of St. Gallen proper progressively freed itself from the rule of the abbot, acquiring Imperial immediacy, and by the late 15th century was recognized as a Free imperial city. By about 1353 the guilds, headed by the cloth-weavers guild, gained control of the civic government. In 1415 the city bought its liberty from the German king King Sigismund.
In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the farmers of the abbot's personal estates began seeking independence. In 1401, the first of the Appenzell Wars broke out, and following the Appenzell victory at Stoss in 1405 they became allies of the Swiss Confederation in 1411. During the Appenzell Wars, the town of St. Gallen often sided with Appenzell against the abbey. So when Appenzell allied with the Swiss, the town of St. Gallen followed just a few months later. The abbot became an ally of several members of the Swiss Confederation (Zürich, Lucerne, Schwyz and Glarus) in 1451. While Appenzell and St. Gallen became full members of the Swiss Confederation in 1454, then in 1457 the town of St. Gallen became officially free from the abbot.
In 1468 the abbot, Ulrich Rösch, bought the County of Toggenburg from the representatives of its counts, after the family died out in 1436. The heraldry blazon of Toggenburg was the symbol of the Canting Dog. Both the city and the abbey were associates (Zugewandte Orte) of the Old Swiss Confederacy, but unlike Appenzell never joined as full members.
In 1798 the Prince-Abbot's secular power was suppressed, and the abbey was secularized. The monks were driven out and moved into other abbeys. The abbey became a separate See in 1846, with the abbey church as its cathedral and a portion of the monastic buildings for the bishop.
In 1803, as part of the Act of Mediation, the area joined the Swiss Confederation as the Canton of St. Gallen.
Ebnat-Kappel is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg, belonging to the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
In celebration of the Grand Schützenfest held in 1891, in the olden township of Ebnat-Kappel, a part of the Toggenburg region in the Canton of St Gallen.