STANS

capital of Nidwalden half canton, central Switzerland, southeast of Luzern. First mentioned in 1172, it was the scene in 1481 of the Diet of Stans. Stans was stormed by the French in 1798, when it revolted against the Helvetic Republic, and educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi gathered the children orphaned by the conflict for his first school. Notable landmarks are the parish church (164147) with a Romanesque tower, the town hall (1715), and the historical museum. The Landsgemeinde (open-air elections of the half canton, with voting by show of hands) are held annually in the town square. Surrounded by orchards, Stans is a tourist centre with a funicular railway to the summit of the nearby Stanserhorn (6,227 feet ). Pop. (1980) 5,681.