June 18 - Walk two minutes to the bus station and get one heading for Vaduz. The interesting part of today is entirely within Liechtenstein. In my prior research, I could not find accommodation within that country that fit the intended budget, so it was easier to book three days in Feldkirch.
There is a border post between Austria and Liechtenstein, and trucks are lined up along the road. I imagine most of this commerce is just transiting to Switzerland (entering at Buchs), but leaves the EU at this border. I have a brief panic when I realize that our passports are still in the room, but the bus goes through without stopping. Off the bus at the Vaduz-Poste stop.
Even compared with Switzerland, Liechtenstein seemed hyper-organized and clean. And gone is the bus stop graffiti of Austria, the moment we cross the border. Vaduz and virtually every large town of the country is jammed into a valley, bordered on the west by the Rhine River and Switzerland, and on the east by a north-south trending string of alpine peaks.
I notice right away that often the Liechtenstein flag is flown along with the Swiss flag, but never the Austrian flag. So that brings me to politics:
Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy in which the ruler (currently Hans-Adam III, Prince of Liechtenstein) has legislative veto power, the right to dissolve the government, and the capacity to nominate judges. Like Switzerland, it is not a member of the EU, though it is part of the Schengen Agreement and a member of the European Economic Area. It maintains a customs and monetary union with Switzerland, using the CHF as currency.
A pedestrian mall extends from the Government HQ down to the Town Hall. All along this street are interesting buildings and a series of modern artworks.
The territory that is now Liechtenstein was buffeted around between different regional powers for centuries, until the Liechtenstein family (who held plots of land around Europe and a namesake castle in Lower Austria) bought the county of Vaduz in 1712. They did this because they wanted a seat at the Imperial diet (parliament) of the Habsburgs, and only by purchasing land directly from the Holy Roman Emperor could they be counted as worthy. Thus the association between the family and the land was formed.
Liechtenstein was proclaimed a Reichsfürstentum (imperial principality) in 1719 by the Holy Roman Emperor, by merging the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg. This is the accepted ‘birthday’ of the country. However, it was still a principality, and stayed so until the Holy Roman Empire was dismantled as a result of the Napoleonic wars. Thereafter, it was left to its own devices, no longer owing any debt to a feudal lord (the Habsburg emperor). It later joined the German Confederation (like Luxembourg) and again fell under the administration of the Austrian Empire.
The economic and monetary union with Switzerland formed as a result of the WWI economic devastation. They maintained a neutral stance during WWII like this neighbor, and unlike Luxembourg, were never occupied by the Nazi regime.
Following WWII, the country was bankrupt, and the Liechtenstein family resorted to selling family treasures, including some famous paintings. By the 1970s, it had established itself as a magnet for businesses, with a low corporate tax rate. It obviously has done well in this business, as it is now one of the wealthiest countries in the world on a per-capita basis.
Some geographic facts. It is considered a ‘micronation’, like Monaco and San Marino, but is the only one to border two other countries. It also holds the dubious distinction of being ‘doubly landlocked’.
I found a website that detailed a number of hikes in the country, and today I attempt to take us on one.
The hike goes awry when the trail entrance from the road is blocked with construction equipment and we are forced to detour. This throws everything else off, and after a 40-minute walk through the forest we arrive in a village I wasn’t thinking to visit.
From Rotenboden we take a bus to Triesenberg, the original ending point for the hike.
Take another bus down into the valley again, then south to Balzers, which is almost at the country's southern border. This is a quiet place where we see no other tourists. The main attraction is Burg Gutenberg (Gutenberg Castle), one of the two castles in Liechtenstein that have remained intact to present day.
A winding path through vineyards arrives at this lonely structure, perched on the only hill in the immediate area. It is usually closed to public but the grounds around it are open.
The fortification of this hilltop began in the 12th century, and expanded several times. It was owned by the Lords of Frauenberg, a family from one of the Swiss cantons, and in 1314 was passed to the Habsburgs. They used it as a watchtower to keep an eye on the Swiss.
It was damaged extensively in 1499, during the Swabian War, and again by the occasional fire, until finally being sold to the Liechtenstein royal family in 1854. Fun fact: the last person to live in the castle left only in 2001.
From the castle, walk down to the church and try to answer Odette’s questions as to why men have to remove their hats while entering a church, while in others we’ve visited, women are required to put something on their heads. It can be difficult to answer a question you know to be complete nonsense to begin with.
Bus from here back to Feldkirch. Not so cheap to take public transport here, comes out to about 7 Euros/hour. Notice straight away when we cross the border again, as the graffiti appears at the bus stops.