William Tell

17 November 2020

The story of William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) is well known. Whether he existed or not is not relevant. One does not have to take the legends of Romulus and Remus or the Goddess Athena seriously to give them credit for founding Rome and Greece. The story of William Tell is relevant as far as it concerns the historical circumstances of the Alpine peasant communities.

One cannot deny that the Swiss Confederation exists and that its roots go back to the medieval cooperation of rural communities and cities. These Orte and cantons and their citizens founded present-day Switzerland in 1815 and 1848.

The ‘what if’ anachronical question is not relevant, nor does the truth of the Tell-story matter. He is one of the most influential (legendary) personalities of Swiss history and even an international symbol of freedom.

The Tell monument and the Tell museum in Bürglen, as well as the Tell monument in his hometown of Altdorf, tell his story.