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The Tell myth, hijacked by the Jacobins in France and reinterpreted by Schiller, also inspired the Italian composer, Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). The music and plot of “William Tell”, Rossini’s last great work, speak of a struggle for freedom which belongs entirely to the Italian Risorgimento. There is a blatant link in the text between the…
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As a result of the work of Friedrich Schiller, one of Germany’s greatest literary figures, the Swiss legend was given a new lease of life and was presented to theatre audiences throughout Europe. It is clear from the plot that Schiller paid careful attention to historical sources and developed the little material available, investing his…
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In the mid-18th century, an anonymous hand, imbued with Enlightenment ideals, challenged the sacred Swiss belief that the Tell legend was theirs and theirs alone. “William Tell, a Danish Fable” was the title of the contentious pamphlet, published in German and French in Bern. The tract was in fact written by two of the most…
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Aegidius Tschudi (1502-1572) was the most important historian of late-Renaissance Switzerland. His “Chronicon Helveticum” is a monumental history of the territory that would become modern-day Switzerland. He drew on no less than a thousand documents, including the “Ballad of Tell”. The work was printed between 1734 and 1736 enabling the legend to find its way…
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The chronology of events was finally transcribed at the end of the 15th century. The codex which was created, kept in the cantonal archives in the town of Sarnen, is bound in expensive white parchment, hence its name. Compiled by the scriveners of the Obwalden chancellery, it is a collection of official documents, including treaties…
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Two generations after his legendary feats, a chapel to Tell’s memory was erected on the banks of Lake Lucerne, between Flüelen and Sisikon. Since the 16th century, there have been no less than three chapels associated with him: one in his native village of Bürglen and one on the “Hohle Gasse” near Küssnacht; as well…
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On November 18, 1307, the hunter, William Tell, goes to the main town of the region, Altdorf. Crossing the square, the proud man refuses to bow to the hat stuck on a pole. Set there by the local governor, Gessler, the hat is the symbol of imperial authority and anyone failing to bow before it…
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According to tradition, representatives of the three founding Swiss cantons met at the Rütli meadow to form an alliance against the Habsburgs, their feudal lords. This tranquil spot on the shore of Lake Lucerne could only be reached by boat and was therefore ideal for secret meetings. Aegidius Tschudi, the 16th-century historian, believed that the…
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Long before Tell arrived on the scene, there was a Danish archer by the name of Toko whose feats were uncannily similar to the Swiss hero. His tale is told in the “Gesta Danorum” (History of the Danes), written by the Danish monk Saxo Grammatico in the 12th century. Saxo, describing events during the reign…
Data protection chief warns of new privacy threats
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Hanspeter Thür also condemned the United States for ordering airlines to hand over sensitive personal data under tough new border controls. The new rules will come into force in October 2005 and will apply to citizens from 27 countries, including Switzerland, which are currently permitted to travel to the US without visas for up to…
