Cantons of Switzerland it was widely seen as anti-EU rhetoric rather than a serious proposal. The motion was eventually dropped and not even examined by the parliament. Cantons of Switzerland The 26 cantons of Switzerland (, , , ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the Waldstätte. Two further major steps in the development of the Swiss cantonal system are referred to by the terms "Acht Orte" ("Eight Cantons"; between 1353 and 1481) and "Dreizehn Orte" ("Thirteen Cantons",during 1513–1798); they
Flags and arms of cantons of Switzerland arranging cantonal insignia in shields ("escutcheons") as coats of arms arises in the late 15th century. The "Tagsatzung" in Baden was presented with stained glass representations of all cantons in ca. 1501. In these designs, two cantonal "escutcheons" were shown side by side, below a shield bearing the Imperial Eagle and a crown, flanked by two banner-bearers. Based on these, there arose a tradition of representing cantonal arms in stained glass ("Standesscheiben"), alive throughout the early modern period and continued in the modern state. The flag of Zürich is derived from a blue-and-white design attested since the 1220s, the diagonal