Switzerland, BRIG

Brig is the capital of the municipality of Brig-Glis in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

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.

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 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.