Switzerland. Canton Zug. Morgarten. The competitors and members of riflemen's association carry their weapons and climb the hill in order to reach the Morgartenschiessen (Morgarten shooting). Thousands competitors from all over Switzerland come to fire fifteen shots at targets arranged on a meadow. The Battle of Morgarten occurred on 15 November 1315, when a 1,500-strong force from the Swiss Confederacy ambushed a group of Austrian soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire on the shores of Lake Ägeri near the Morgarten Pass. The Swiss, led by Werner Stauffacher, defeated the Austrians, who were under the command of Duke Leopold I. The Swiss victory consolidated the Everlasting League of the Three Forest Cantons, which formed the core of modern Switzerland. The victory of the Confederates left them in their virtual autonomy. Wooden artistic sculptures of ancient soldiers holding a pike, a stone with the battle’s year and a flail. A flail refers to a shorter weapon with a round metal striking head. Morgarten is a Swiss village which belongs to the municipality of Oberägeri in the canton of Zug. 15.11.2017 © 2017 Didier Ruef