Ferdinand Schlöth's Winkelried monument has shaped the village square of Stans for 150 years.
It was inaugurated on September 3, 1865 with a big festival. The entire Federal Council and numerous government representatives from the cantons of the young Swiss federal state traveled to Nidwalden for the inauguration. After the Sonderbund War of 1847 and the establishment of the liberal federal state in 1848 against the will of the Catholic-conservative towns, the inauguration of the Winkelried monument served as an act of federal reconciliation and integration.
In order to understand the importance of the Winkelried monument in the young federal state of Switzerland, one has to know the various aspects of its history and impact. Starting from the Winkelried monument, contexts are illuminated here that are important for understanding the monument:
A.1 Just think - what the memorial tells
A.2 Facts and Fictions - The Battle of Sempach and the Winkelried Myth
A.3 A hero for everyone - the history of the Winkelried myth
A.4 The monument in the young federal state - the history of its creation
A.5 The village square in Stans - The Winkelried monument in public space
A.6 The monument as a work of art - aspects of art history
A.7 Why a memorial for Winkelried? - On dealing with heroines, heroes and memory