The Walser are German-speaking people (more specifically, they speak Walser German dialects) who live in the Alps of Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein and Austria. The Walser people are named after the Wallis (Valais), the uppermost Rhône River valley. Prior, they are believed to have lived in southwest Germany.
The Walser settled the upper part of the Wallis about 1000 years ago, coming 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, which is known as the Walser migrations.
Read more about Walser: Reasons For The Walser Migrations, Characteristics of Walser Settlements, Geographical Distribution
Famous quotes containing the word walser:
“When Walser first put on his make-up, he looked in the mirror and did not recognise himself ... he experienced the freedom that lies behind the mask, within dissimulation.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)