The Schächental is an alpine

Swiss Alps

The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....

 valley of Uri

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...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, formed by the Schächen river. The valley stretches to the east of Altdorf

Altdorf, Switzerland

Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality covers an area of and is located at a height of above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss.-Location:...

 for some 10 km.

Situated in the Schächental are the municipalities of Bürglen

Bürglen, Uri

Bürglen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-History:Bürglen is first mentioned in 857 as Burgilla. In 1240 it was mentioned as Burgelon.-Geography:...

 (525 m), Spiringen

Spiringen

Spiringen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Spiringen has an area, , of . Of this area, 37.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...

 (923 m) and Unterschächen

Unterschächen

Unterschächen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland, situated in the upper Schächental.-Geography:Unterschächen has an area, , of . Of this area, 35.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.8% is settled and the remainder is...

 (995 m). The valley terminates in the Klausenpass (1948 m), which connects to the Urnerboden, leading towards 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....

. A side valley, the Hinter Schächen branches to the south of Unterschächen, extending for some 4 km. It terminates abruptly, in the steep northern slope of the Gross Windgällen

Gross Windgällen

The Gross Windgällen is a 3,187 metres high mountain in the Glarus Alps, overlooking the valley of the Reuss in the canton of Uri. The massif of the Gross Wingällen lies between two parallel valleys, the Schächental on the north side and the Maderanertal on the south side, both converging to the...

.

Upon leaving the valley, the Schächen flows past Altdorf

Altdorf, Switzerland

Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality covers an area of and is located at a height of above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss.-Location:...

 and joins the 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...

 at 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...

.

The inhabitants of the Schächen valley figure prominently in the formative phase of the Old Swiss Confederacy

Old Swiss Confederacy

The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....

 in the context of the struggle against the Habsburg

Habsburg

The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

 feudal lords. In legend, William Tell

William Tell

William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....

is a native of the Schächen valley.