Walser

The Walser are an Alemannic ethnic group in the Alps. They speak a dialect of Alemannic highest, the Walser German. In the Middle Ages they settled from the modern canton of Valais out more alpine regions in Switzerland, northern Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria and Bavaria.

History

About 1000 years ago the Alemanni arrived on their migration from the Bernese Oberland, the Goms and populated by little the upper Rhone Valley.

Around the 13th century to the 14th century began, individual groups of Welshmen or just Walser settlers to leave gradually the Rhone Valley; they moved in all directions, but particularly to the east:

  • Although belonging to Wallis, but was only colonized in the wake of the Walser emigration located beyond the watershed communities Simplon and Gondo;
  • In the Bernese Oberland Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Planalp, but also scattered outposts in the Bernese Mittelland
  • Parts of the alpine areas of Canton Vaud and Savoy
  • The Italian Alps valleys south of the Monte Rosa massif: In the region of Aosta Valley: Gressoney: Gressoney La Trinité ( Walser German Greschunei upper part ), Gressoney -Saint -Jean ( wdt. Greschunei Under part and Mettelteil ) Issime ( wdt. Eischeme ) and parts of the Val d' Ayas;
  • In the province of Vercelli: Alagna ( wdt. In the land ), Rima (now with San Giuseppe a community as Rima San Giuseppe ( wdt. Arimmu ) ), Rimella ( wdt. Remmalju ), Riva Valdobbia ( wdt. Rifu )
  • In the province of Verbania -Cusio -Ossola: Formazza ( wdt. Pomatt ) Macugnaga ( wdt. Z Maggana ) Salecchio ( wdt. Saley ) Ornavasso ( wdt. Urnafasch ) Miggiandone, agaro ( wdt. Ager ), Ausone ( wdt. Ogschtu ), Campello Monti ( wdt. Ggampel )
  • Rheinwald ( Sufers, Spliigen, Nufenenpass, Hinter Rhine ), Avers
  • Obersaxen, Vals, St. Martin
  • Safiental ( Safien and Tenna ) Valendas, Versam, Tschappina
  • Mutten
  • The upper Landwassertal with Davos and Jenisberg (municipality Filisur )
  • The upper Schanfigg ( Arosa, Long Meadow ) and Praden; the Walser dialect in the communities of the middle and lower Schanfiggs including Lenzerheide, however, based on subsequent Germanization of the Roman population
  • The higher areas of the Prättigau ( Valzeina, Furna, St.Antönien, Klosters ); the Walser dialect in the other municipalities of the Prättigau however, based on subsequent Germanization of the Roman population
  • Triesenberg and planks in Liechtenstein
  • Calfeisental and Tamina valley in the canton of St. Gallen
  • Vorarlberg: Great Walser Valley, Little Walser Valley, with Tannberg Schröcken, Lech and Warth, fire, Bürserberg, Dünserberg, Schnifiserberg, Thuringian mountain, Nenzingerberg, Ebnit, Laternsertal, DAMLS and Silbertal
  • Tirol: Galtür in the Paznaun
  • Bavaria: Gerstruben in the Allgäu.

One reason for the medieval Walser emigration was the growing population pressure and the search for new agricultural land. The Walser hikes are here in a similar context as the German Ostsiedlung. The Walser developed techniques also allowed the farming of high mountain regions. The rulers of the territories concerned promoted colonization by this exemption and allocation of certain colonists rights. Thus, the redevelopment of land offered the Walser the possibility of liberation from feudal serfdom. The Walser were also called " Free Walser" because of their own legal constitutions. Especially coming from the Walser village of Gressoney Walser were known since the 16th century as a successful peddler and pedlars. They supplied their customers in the deeper regions of Central Europe.

A representation of the transition times of the mining regions and the Walser was filmed in the early 1980s in the 9- part TV production " The Fifth Season " with Dietmar Schönherr.

A widespread opinion is that there is a special Walser building type. But it is untenable, since it is rather generally alpine.

Language

The culture and language of the Walser is still alive today in part; the highest Alemannic dialect stands out from the high- Alemannic dialects of the Grisons and the Central Alemannic dialects of the Vorarlberg area sharply. Typical, the Walser German defining feature is the sh -sound in words like ski ' you ' (singular and plural), böösch "evil" ünsch / iisch "us", Müüsch / Miisch " mice ", Hüüscher / Hiischer "houses". Other features of the Walser Germans are more general west- southwest or Alemannic dialect features, but clearly stand out in the Grisons and the Tyrol on the characteristics of the local Southeast Alemannic dialects, so that there is also this plays a defining character. These include the present tense he geit / gäit, schteit / schtäit " he goes, is " ( so / goot in Bern Germans in the adjacent non - Walser dialects but he gaat, schtaat / schtoot ) or the two-syllable plural of strong masculine nouns as Taga days "days" (but apokopiert in the neighboring dialects and often umlauted Taag or Tääg ). The same applies to / ch / shifted anlautendes / k / as in Chind " child ", which is a common feature of high- Alemannic dialects, but in the dialects of the Grisons Rhine Valley, Liechtenstein and Vorarlberg does not occur.

The inhabitants of the Walser villages in the canton of Graubünden stand out particularly linguistically out there where around Romansh is spoken. So German is spoken about in the community Obersaxen, while large majority Romansh dialects are spread throughout the remaining area of the Anterior Rhine.

International Walser meeting

Since 1962, the International Association leads for Walser ( IVfW ) every three years an international meeting by Walser. The main purpose of the meetings is the routine care of the common cultural heritage to various settlements with walserischem background. The last 18 meetings were held in the following locations:

The nearest international Walser meeting will take place from 16 to 18 September 2016 Arosa instead.

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