Brig (French: Brigue, Italian: Briga) is the capital of the municipality of Brig-Glis in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Brig-Glis (Brigue-Glis is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Brig is an administrative district in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the states of the Federal state of Switzerland. The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation

The historic town with 5,000 inhabitants is part of the municipality Brig-Glis with 11,600 inhabitants. Municipalities (sometimes called communities or communes, after the French/Italian names are the smallest government division in Switzerland and are called Brig-Glis (Brigue-Glis is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

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 Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS railway, known since the merger of the "old" BLS with the Bern-Neuenburg-Bahn (BN the Gürbetal-Bern-Schwarzenburg-Bahn (GBS and the The Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB is a narrow gauge Railway in Switzerland. 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. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the states of the Federal state of Switzerland. Brig is popular among winter sport athletes, since it is surrounded by many Alp summits. The town itself lies close to Rhone river. The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. 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. Simplon Pass ( Italian: Passo del Sempione) (2008 m /6589 ft) is a high Mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the 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

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

External links

• City of Brig in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland is an Encyclopedia on the History of Switzerland that aims to take into account the results of modern historical research