- Brig, Switzerland
Brig ( _fr. Brigue, _it. Briga) is the capital of the municipality of
Brig-Glis in the district of Brig in the canton ofValais inSwitzerland .The historic town with 5,000 inhabitants is part of the municipality
Brig-Glis with 11,600 inhabitants.Brig was a municipality of its own until 1973, when it merged with Glis and
Brigerbad to form Brig-Glis. The municipality had 468 inhabitants in 1798 and 5191 in 1970.The name 'Brig' is derived from "Briva", or "bridge." It is a picturesque small town in the Swiss canton of the Valais, situated at the foot of the northern slope of the Simplon Pass, on the right bank of the Saltine stream, and a little above its junction with the Rhone. Its older houses are very Italian in appearance, while its most prominent buildings (castle, former Jesuits' college and Ursuline convent) all date from the 17th century, and are due to the generosity of a single member of the local Stockalper family.
The railway lines of Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon and
Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn meet in Brig. The meeting point of the town is the train station.Brig is located close to the Swiss-Italian borders. The language used in every day transactions is a unique German
dialect , only used in this particular canton. Brig is popular among winter sport athletes, since it is surrounded by many Alp summits. The town itself lies close to Rhone river. Due to the high altitude, the temperatures in winter often remain below zero, resulting in frost. During the summer season, heat can be intense.The prosperity of Brig is bound up with the
Simplon Pass , so that it gradually supplanted the more ancient village of Naters opposite, becoming a separate parish (the church is at Glis, a few minutes from the town) in 1517. Its medieval name was "Briga dives". The opening of the carriage road across the Simplon (1807) and of the tunnel beneath the pass (1906), as well as the fact that above Brig is the steeper and less fertile portion of the Upper Valais (then much frequented by tourists), greatly increased the importance and size of the town.References
External links
*HDS|2662|City of Brig
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