Altdorf

Altdorf stands on the eastern bank of the Reuss, close to the river's entrance into Lake Uri. Recorded in 1223, it lies where routes towards the Gotthard and Klausen passes meet. By the late Middle Ages its markets and carriers served traffic in wine, cattle, cheese, grain and salt travelling over the Gotthard. The Dorfbach canal supplied water and powered mills and sawmills.

The people of Uri redeemed rights held by Zürich's Fraumünster abbey in 1359, and in 1428 Altdorf's parishioners gained the choice of their priest. Cattle raising became a leading occupation, and villagers secured rights to much of the common land around 1522. Fires struck the town in 1693 and 1799; after the latter, authorities required houses to be rebuilt with stone and tile. According to legend, Altdorf was also where William Tell shot an apple from his son's head.