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.