Walser people

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Distribution of Highest Alemannic dialects
Juf (Avers), at 2,126 meters (6,975 ft) above sea level, is the highest permanently inhabited settlement in Europe. This Walser village was established in 1292 a few kilometers upstream of the Latin Val Ferrera.
"Walser" redirects here. For people with surname, see Walser (surname).

The Walser people are the speakers of the

Highest Alemannic.[1]
They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser people are named after the
Alamanni, crossing from the Bernese Oberland
; because of linguistic differences among the Walser dialects, it is supposed that there were two independent immigration routes.

From the upper Wallis, they began to spread south, west and east between the 12th and 13th centuries, in the so-called

valleys of the Alps, are not entirely clear. Some think[who?] that the large Walser migrations took place because of conflicts with the valley's feudal lords. Other theories contend[who?] it was because of overpopulation and yet others[who?] that they were reinforced by the respective local authorities in order to settle previously unpopulated regions. Starting in 1962, every three years a meeting of Walser people called Walsertreffen occurs in a Walser inhabited area. [2]

History

Flag of the Walser people

The Walser people originate from the Swiss canton of Valais. Around 1300, they started to migrate. As of 2022, the reasons are not historically documented and are speculated to be due to overpopulation, climate change or poverty.

In many places Walser settlers received the "Walser right" (colonist right), that is, personal freedom, with the right to form their own judicial communities and the right of the free hereditary rights of land. When a settler died, the estate passed to his heirs. The "Walser law" was granted against a moderate interest and the obligation to serve in the war.[3]

Geographical distribution

In

Landquart (Davos, Klosters, Furna, Says, St. Antönien, Valzeina). Wartau, (Matug, Walserberg, Palfris) and Walser speaking people may live in the canton of Geneva.[citation needed
]

Walser settlements in northwestern Italy

In

Campello Monti (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province); Alagna Valsesia, Riva Valdobbia, Carcoforo, Rimasco, Rima San Giuseppe, Rimella (Sesia Valley or Valsesia, in Vercelli province
).

In Liechtenstein, there is one Walser community: Triesenberg, including Saminatal and Malbun. Until the 1930s, the dialects of Walser German and Romandy based on the French language was still spoken among a few hundred residents.[citation needed]

In

Tyrol
.

Additionally, Walser communities are reportedly found in

Highest Alemannic
) dialects of the Berner Oberland.

Some Walsers later settled portions of eastern

Austro-Hungarian Empire. Their descendants in the early 20th century were known as Français du Banat or the "Banat French", as well the Romandie de l'Ungerne or "the Romandies of Hungary".[citation needed
]

References

  1. ISBN 9783946234180.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  2. ^ "Walsertreffen, the great gathering of Walser". Alagna. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Geschichte und Brauchtum". www.gde-mittelberg.at. n.d. Retrieved 20 June 2022.

External links

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