Effective from 1 January 2011, Näfels is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord.

[1] In 1388, the Swiss Confederates beat the Habsburgs at the Battle of Näfels, a victory that proved to be decisive in the series of Swiss-Austrian conflicts that stretched through most of the 14th Century as, in 1389, a peace treaty was signed at Vienna.

Of the rest of the land, 4.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (22.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

[4] Näfels is located in the Glarner Unterland on the left side of the valley, across from Mollis.

It consists of the village of Näfels and the scattered settlements that make up the Näfelser Berg and the Oberseetal.