Gallen [ a ] is a Swiss city and the capital of the canton of St. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall , founded in the 7th century. Its economy consists mainly of the service sector. The city is home to the University of St. Gallen , one of the best business schools in Europe. The Abbey's renowned library contains books from the 9th century. The official language of St. Gallen is the Swiss variety of Standard German , but the main spoken language is the local variant of Alemannic Swiss German.
The city has good transport links to the rest of the country and to neighbouring Germany and Austria. It also functions as the gate to the Appenzellerland. The town of St. Gallen grew around the Abbey of St Gall , founded in the 8th century. By the tenth century, a settlement had grown up around the abbey. In Magyar raiders attacked the abbey and surrounding town. Saint Wiborada , the first woman formally canonized by the Vatican , [ 8 ] reportedly saw a vision of the impending attack and warned the monks and citizens to flee.
While the monks and the abbey treasure escaped, Wiborada chose to stay behind and was killed by the raiders. Not all the books were returned. On 26 April a fire consumed much of the abbey, spreading to the adjoining settlement. However, the library was spared.
By , Abbot Notker finished the wall, and the adjoining settlement began growing into the town of St. From the later 12th century, the town of St. Gall increasingly pushed for independence from the abbey. In , an imperial reeve , who was not answerable to the abbot, was installed in the town. Gallen was to constitute an important territorial state and a major regional power in northern Switzerland. The city of St. Gallen proper progressively separated itself from the rule of the abbot.
Abbot Wilhelm von Montfort in granted special privileges to the citizens. In , the Appenzell estates of the abbot successfully rebelled and in they became allies of the Old Swiss Confederation. A few months later, the town of St. Gallen also became an ally.
