Culture Writer-in-Residence Fellowship - Altdorf 2025/2026

Uri Institute Cultures of the Alps at the University of Lucerne
Location: Altdorf, Canton Uri
Duration: 3 months
Application deadline: 20 June 2025

Topic: On the Edge of the Line – Culture in the Transit Region of Uri

For many, the Canton of Uri has been and continues to be perceived primarily as a corridor and bottleneck on Europe’s most important north–south transport axis. In the past, it was the Gotthard Pass and the summit tunnel; today, it is the motorway and the base tunnel that shape perceptions of the region. From the perspective of the local population, this “transit zone” is mainly associated with the burdens of traffic and related infrastructure.

Yet this focus often overlooks the diverse – and sometimes ambivalent – cultural effects that have emerged precisely because of Uri's role as a transit region. The Fellowship for Culture-Writer in Residence provides the opportunity to examine these effects more closely and explore their potential for the canton’s future development. The following questions may serve as a starting point:

• What kinds of cultural expression arise in a region that is geographically central but mentally marginal?
• What traces are left by transit, by passing through, by speed – and how do they shape people, cultural and social practices, economic life, and self-perception?
• How can culture in a region understood as a “transit zone” be made visible, documented, theorised, and ultimately used as a resource?

The fellowship is an invitation to engage with these questions in a journalistic and culturally informed way. The aim is to contribute to a cartographic exploration of cultural practices and phenomena in the transit zone of Uri – and to make them accessible to a broader audience through observational, documentary, and narrative formats.

What we offer:

• A three-month residency in Altdorf (accommodation provided)
• Monthly stipend of CHF 7,500
• Access to local cultural institutions, archives, and key figures
• Active exchange with researchers from the Institute
• Platform for publication and dissemination
• Opportunity to develop a journalistic-literary cartography project
• Closing event (reading, talk, exhibition, etc.)

What we expect:

• Residency in Altdorf during the fellowship
• Regular exchange with local actors from culture, science, economy, and society
• At least three journalistic contributions
• Participation in at least one public event during the stay
• A longer essay offering a lasting perspective on the transit canton of Uri

Your profile:

• Cultural or science journalists with an interest in inter- and transdisciplinary approaches
• Writers with a keen sense for landscapes, stories, social spaces, and linguistic diversity
• Openness to research in a rural yet culturally layered environment

The fellowship is open to writers working in any of the Alpine languages – including German, French, Italian, Ladin, Romansh, Slovenian, and others.

Application:

Please send the following documents (PDF, max. 10 MB) by 20 June 2025 to:
kulturschreiberinnen@kulturen-der-alpen.ch

• Motivation letter (max. 1 page) and CV
• Project outline (max. 2 pages), including preferred residency period (2025/2026)
• 2–3 work samples (published or unpublished)

PDF

Contact:

Veronika Studer-Kovacs
veronika.studer@unilu.ch
+41 41 229 56 75

Published on 28. May 2025