Tell Monument

The 'Tell Monument' (German: Telldenkmal) is a memorial to William Tell in the market place of Altdorf, Canton of Uri, Switzerland.

After Tell shot the Austria reeve Albrecht Gessler, a Swiss uprising against the Austrian rule began.

When Tell refused to bow before a hat on a pole Gessler had erected in Altdorf, Tell was forced to either shoot an apple placed on his son's head or face death.

[5] It was sculptured by Vincenzo Vela on request by Giacomo Ciani, an Italian immigrant to Switzerland, owner of a Hotel at the shores of Lake Lugano who would become a Member of Parliament.

[7] Another unsuccessful attempt to bring a Tell statue to Altdorf was made by a French merchant whose plans were eventually realized in 1901 in Lausanne.

[9] The ideas of the commission of Uri were detailed, the tender called for a Swiss representative monument for "all kinds of folks".

[9] The statue should show Tell in the moment when he refuses to bow before Gesslers hat and in the peasant's clothes worn at the time.

[10] It would pay for the renovation of the tower in front of which the statue was to be located and the monument itself including a pedestal and three bronze reliefs.

[11] Behind the statue is a bronze plate with the following inscription:[12] Erzæhlen Wird Man Von Dem Schützen Tell So Lang Die Berge Steh'n Auf Ihrem Grunde.

This translates to: It will be talked about (in the sense of "stories will be told about") the marksman Tell as long as the mountains stand on their base.

Tell monument in 2022
The statue in 1900