2000 franc fine Glarus municipality takes action against wild campers at Insta hotspot

Tourists flock in droves to the Muttenchopf at the far end of Glarus. Now the municipality is cracking down and banning camping.

Instagram has caused real chaos in Glarnerland: a photo shared on the platform by photographer Tobias Ryser has turned the Muttenchopf near Linthal into a tourist magnet. More and more people are flocking there to capture the view of Lake Limmern on their cameras. The tranquillity of this remote location is now over.

Hordes of tourists flock to the idyllic spot to take a similar photo. The crowds are now so overwhelming that an SAC hut warden throws in the towel exhausted, the locals are increasingly annoyed and there are reports of downright "Wild West" conditions in Tierfehd. This is where Instagram tourists prefer to park their cars to start their journey to the coveted photo opportunity.

Exact implementation being clarified

Now the municipality of Glarus Süd wants to put an end to the excesses. According to "Südostschweiz", camping is no longer permitted at Muttenchopf. In addition, the municipality is currently discussing whether only certain paths to the mountain should be permitted in order to better protect nature.

Flying drones will also no longer be permitted in the area in future. Anyone who does not comply with the new rules will have to pay a fine of up to CHF 2,000.

According to the municipality of Glarus Süd, it is still being clarified how exactly the ban will be enforced, for example with controls. "It still needs to be clarified how often and in what form checks should be carried out so that the ban does not become a paper trail," Fritz Weber, Head of the Department of Society and Security, told "Südostschweiz".