Altdorf

Altdorf, with a population of around 8800 is the capital of Canton Uri in central Switzerland. Above all, it’s known as the place where the legendary William Tell shot the apple from his son’s head. A bronze statue of Tell and his son Walter was erected in the market place in 1895, commemorating this daring feat and the battle for freedom from Hapsburg opression. Schiller’s William Tell play has been performed in a theatre near to the town since 1899.
In 2007, Altorf was awarded the Swiss Conservation Society’s Wakkerpreis for its efforts in maintaining a clear policy of landscape-compatible spatial development, having carried out numerous new and renovation projects in exemplary fashion.
The region is full of fascination, with a mild, almost Mediterranean climate on the shores of the Urnersee (lake), carefully conserved villages on the slopes above and shimmering snow on the high peaks.