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.