William Tell: an eternal myth From July 26, swissinfo.org will be devoting a special feature to Switzerlands national hero.

BERN 24th July (PROTEXT) - The legend of William Tell has survived for seven centuries. It has now entered the internet age. To mark the bicentenary of Friedrich Schillers famous play William Tell, the multimedia platform of swissinfo/Swiss Radio International explores the mythical past and present of the celebrated Swiss hero.

Tells mythical deeds come to life in stories illustrated with video, pictures and sound in four languages: English, German, French and Italian. Analysis and commentary shed light on the meaning of the legend for Switzerland and the world at large.

Swissinfo travels to Tell country in the heart of Switzerland, to visit the setting of the famous apple-shooting scene and to meet the archers proud ancestors. Also presented is a selection of video highlights of Tell as he has been presented on the stage and screen.

2004, the year of Tell William Tell will go online on July 26 at www.swissinfo.org. The date has not been chosen at random. It comes just before Swiss National Day on August 1, and just after the opening of Friedrich Schillers play on the Rütli Meadow. (The play is the first ever to be staged on the spot where the Swiss Confederation was born in 1291.) Produced by the Weimar Theatre, the performance is the first in a long series of events organised in Switzerland to mark the plays 200th anniversary.

In the meantime, you can get to know our legendary hero in the very latest technological format and in four languages, on www.swissinfo.org or by going directly to http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=2300 for the English version.

For further information, please contact: Dale Bechtel swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) Giacomettistrasse 1 CH- 3000 Bern Switzerland Email: dale.bechtel@swissinfo.ch Telephone: +41 079 474 45 83

www.swissinfo.org reports on current affairs in Switzerland using text, video, radio and TV features in nine languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese). www.swissinfo.org also offers a broad range of other services: a very comprehensive list of links on Switzerland, a free e-mail address (http://freemail.swissinfo.org) and an information service which provides answers to questions about Switzerland by e-mail (www.swisshelpdesk.org).

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