Altdorf, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri
. The municipality
covers an area of 10.23 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) and is located at a height of 462 metres (1,515.7 ft) above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss
.
Altdorf is 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) from Lucerne
by the St Gotthard railway and 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) from Göschenen
. Its port on the Lake of Lucerne, Flüelen
, is 2 miles (3.2 km) miles distant. There is a stately parish church
, while above the little town is the oldest Capuchin
convent in Switzerland (1581).
The municipality is located south of the Lake of Lucerne, and along the eastern side of the Reuss River
. Additionally it is located on the major transportation line through the Gotthard Pass and along the Gotthard rail line
.
of Eggberge on a high terrace above the town. It adjoins Attinghausen
und Seedorf in the west, Flüelen
in the north, Bürglen in the east and south, and Schattdorf
in the south.
The municipality has an area, , of 10.2 km² (3.9 sq mi). Of this area, 35.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 37.2% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 0.7% is used for farming or pastures, while 35.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 11.3% is covered with buildings, 2.6% is industrial, 0.8% is classed as special developments, 1.5% is listed as parks and greenbelts and 6.7% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, 1.1% is unproductive flowing water (rivers), there is 0.6% that is too rocky for vegatation, and 0.2% is other unproductive land.
The earliest evidence of a settlement in Altdorf are several La Tène
era bronze
ax-heads and iron tools from the 3rd century BC. The people that settled in this region initially settled in the forest, and expanded toward the banks of the Reuss river. When the Reuss periodically flooded, the low lying settlements were destroyed and the inhabitants were driven back to the "old town", a possible source of the name Altdorf.
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire
the local Gallo-Roman
population of Altdorf began to mix with the Germanic Alamanni
during the 7th century. The earliest evidence of this is the grave (dated to 670–680) of an armed horseman located in the local St Martin's Church.
The current town was first mentioned in 1223 as Alttorf. During the 16 to 19th centuries it was known simply as Uri.
Altdorf is best known as the place where, according to the legend, William Tell
shot the apple from his son's head.
This act by tradition happened on the market-place, where in 1895, at the foot of an old tower (with rude frescoes
commemorating the feat), there was set up a fine bronze statue
(by Richard Kissling
of Zurich) of Tell and his son. In 1899 a theatre was opened close to the town's center for the purpose of performing Schiller
's play of Wilhelm Tell
.
The same year a new carriage-road was opened from Altdorf through the Schächental
and over the Klausen Pass
(1948 metres (6,391.1 ft)) to the village of Linthal
(46 kilometres (28.6 mi)) and so to Glarus
.
being second most common (4.2%) and Italian being third ( 2.5%). the gender distribution of the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
In Altdorf about 65.2% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Altdorf has an unemployment rate
of 1.45%. , there were 137 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 49 businesses involved in this sector. 1,748 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 77 businesses in this sector. 3,585 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 403 businesses in this sector.
source:
(1862–1947) whose family came from Hospental
, including portraits of Pope Pius X
, Pope Pius XI
, Cardinal Merry del Val, the artist's father Alois Muller, his uncle Domherr Josef Muller, and a large allegorical work Alpenrose und Edelweiss. The museum was extended in the 1990s.
Recently the town has established the Haus für Kunst Uri at Herrengasse 2 in a partly converted historic house with a large contemporary extension creating an attractive exhibition space. The work of Swiss and international contemporary artists from Uri is exhibited here, and they sometimes have exhibitions of earlier historical art.
, Germany (since 1971)
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
. The municipality
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
covers an area of 10.23 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) and is located at a height of 462 metres (1,515.7 ft) above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
.
Location
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
by the St Gotthard railway and 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) from Göschenen
Göschenen
Göschenen a village in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-History:Göschenen is first mentioned in 1280 as Geschenden. In 1290 it was mentioned as Gescheldun, then in 1294 as Geschenen and in 1429 as ze Gestinen.-Geography:...
. Its port on the Lake of Lucerne, Flüelen
Flüelen
Flüelen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Flüelen has an area, , of . Of this area, 22% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.1% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, is 2 miles (3.2 km) miles distant. There is a stately parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, while above the little town is the oldest Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
convent in Switzerland (1581).
The municipality is located south of the Lake of Lucerne, and along the eastern side of the Reuss River
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
. Additionally it is located on the major transportation line through the Gotthard Pass and along the Gotthard rail line
Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn was the name of a private Swiss railway company which operated the railway line from Immensee to Chiasso . Nowadays this term usually does not refer to that company, but to the railway line itself...
.
Geography
Altdorf consists of the town proper in the Reuss valley and the scattered hamletsHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Eggberge on a high terrace above the town. It adjoins Attinghausen
Attinghausen
Attinghausen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Attinghausen has an area, , of . Of this area, 35.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.7% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
und Seedorf in the west, Flüelen
Flüelen
Flüelen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Flüelen has an area, , of . Of this area, 22% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.1% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
in the north, Bürglen in the east and south, and Schattdorf
Schattdorf
Schattdorf is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Schattdorf has an area, , of . Of this area, 33.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 37.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 11% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
in the south.
The municipality has an area, , of 10.2 km² (3.9 sq mi). Of this area, 35.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 37.2% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 0.7% is used for farming or pastures, while 35.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 11.3% is covered with buildings, 2.6% is industrial, 0.8% is classed as special developments, 1.5% is listed as parks and greenbelts and 6.7% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, 1.1% is unproductive flowing water (rivers), there is 0.6% that is too rocky for vegatation, and 0.2% is other unproductive land.
History
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
era bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
ax-heads and iron tools from the 3rd century BC. The people that settled in this region initially settled in the forest, and expanded toward the banks of the Reuss river. When the Reuss periodically flooded, the low lying settlements were destroyed and the inhabitants were driven back to the "old town", a possible source of the name Altdorf.
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
the local Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture
The term Gallo-Roman describes the Romanized culture of Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire. This was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman mores and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context...
population of Altdorf began to mix with the Germanic Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
during the 7th century. The earliest evidence of this is the grave (dated to 670–680) of an armed horseman located in the local St Martin's Church.
The current town was first mentioned in 1223 as Alttorf. During the 16 to 19th centuries it was known simply as Uri.
Altdorf is best known as the place where, according to the legend, William Tell
William Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
shot the apple from his son's head.
This act by tradition happened on the market-place, where in 1895, at the foot of an old tower (with rude frescoes
commemorating the feat), there was set up a fine bronze statue
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
(by Richard Kissling
Richard Kissling
Richard Kissling was a Swiss sculptor.Born in Wolfwil, Switzerland, Kissling went through apprenticeship as a plasterer before moving to Rome for 13 years, studying under the sculptor Ferdinand Schlöth. At the 1883 National Exhibition in Zurich, Kissling showed a portrait bust of the Swiss...
of Zurich) of Tell and his son. In 1899 a theatre was opened close to the town's center for the purpose of performing Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's play of Wilhelm Tell
Wilhelm Tell (play)
William Tell is a drama written by Friedrich Schiller in 1804. The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as well as on the Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century...
.
The same year a new carriage-road was opened from Altdorf through the Schächental
Schächental
The Schächental is an alpine valley of Uri, Switzerland, formed by the Schächen river. The valley stretches to the east of Altdorf for some 10 km....
and over the Klausen Pass
Klausen Pass
Klausen Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the cantons of Uri and Glarus. The pass road from Altdorf leads through the Schächen Valley, the pass and Urnerboden to Linthal in Glarus....
(1948 metres (6,391.1 ft)) to the village of Linthal
Linthal
Linthal is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Linthal is part of the municipality of Glarus Süd.-Geography:...
(46 kilometres (28.6 mi)) and so to Glarus
Glarus
Glarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus municipality since 1 January 2011 incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern....
.
Demographics
Altdorf has a population (as of ) of . , 13.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of −0.4%. Most of the population speaks German (88.3%), with Serbo-CroatianSerbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
being second most common (4.2%) and Italian being third ( 2.5%). the gender distribution of the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
In Altdorf about 65.2% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Altdorf has an unemployment rate
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
of 1.45%. , there were 137 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 49 businesses involved in this sector. 1,748 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 77 businesses in this sector. 3,585 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 403 businesses in this sector.
Historical population
| year | population | Swiss citizens | % German Speaking | % Roman Catholic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1600 | ca. 3,100 | |||
| 1629 | ca. 1,500 | |||
| 1650 | ca. 3,000 | |||
| 1743 | 3,025 | |||
| 1799 | ca. 2,000 | |||
| 1837 | 1,903 | |||
| 1850 | 2,112 | 2,088 | ||
| 1880 | 2,906 | 2,734 | 97.9% | 96.0% |
| 1910 | 3,854 | 3,515 | 94.2% | 93.6% |
| 1930 | 4,240 | 3,984 | 94.7% | 92.0% |
| 1950 | 6,576 | 6,236 | 94.5% | 88.7% |
| 1970 | 8647 | 7,659 | 89.7% | 89.4% |
| 1990 | 8,282 | 7,158 | 88.0% | 84.3% |
Historisches Museum and the Haus für Kunst Uri
In 1905 a Museum was opened on Gottardstrasse just south of the centre of the town that houses a collection of local antiquities, weapons and regional furniture, as well as a collection of portraits of important Uri citizens, including fine ones by the Andermatt-born Felix Maria Diogg (1762–1834). There are several paintings here by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-UryAdolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Muller-Ury was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life.-Heritage and early life in Switzerland:...
(1862–1947) whose family came from Hospental
Hospental
Hospental is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-History:Hospental is first mentioned in 1285 as Hospenthal. In 1499 it was mentioned under its latin name as Hospicium, and in 1616 as Spithal.-Geography:...
, including portraits of Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
, Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
, Cardinal Merry del Val, the artist's father Alois Muller, his uncle Domherr Josef Muller, and a large allegorical work Alpenrose und Edelweiss. The museum was extended in the 1990s.
Recently the town has established the Haus für Kunst Uri at Herrengasse 2 in a partly converted historic house with a large contemporary extension creating an attractive exhibition space. The work of Swiss and international contemporary artists from Uri is exhibited here, and they sometimes have exhibitions of earlier historical art.
Weather
Altdorf has an average of 133.7 days of rain per year and on average receives 1099 mm (43.3 in) of precipitation. The wettest month is August during which time Altdorf receives an average of 135 mm (5.3 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.2 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is June, with an average of 14.4, but with only 127 mm (5 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 66 mm (2.6 in) of precipitation over 13.2 days.Twin towns – sister cities
Altdorf is twinned with: Altdorf bei NürnbergAltdorf bei Nürnberg
Altdorf bei Nürnberg is a town in south-eastern Germany. It is situated 25 km east of Nuremberg, in the district Nürnberger Land. Its name literally means Altdorf near Nuremberg, to distinguish it from other Altdorfs.-History:...
, Germany (since 1971)
External links
- Altdorf Official site