In the 19th century this amateur sport was very popular in the Emmental and in Entlebuch.
This form of grappling is preserved during the 17th and 18th century in the Emmental, Haslital and Entlebuch regions specifically.
During the Swiss peasant war of 1653, Zwyer commanded the joint troops of the city of Lucerne and Uri, putting down the revolt in the Entlebuch valley in the canton of Lucerne.
The village lies in the Entlebuch region, near the upper end of the Waldemme valley, on the road to the Glaubenbielen Pass.