  Vaduz
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 208 Vaduz Tips.450 Vaduz Photos.2 Vaduz Videos. Vaduz Pages by budapest8
| Page Views: 289 Last Visit to Vaduz: 1972 | VADUZ by budapest8 - last update: Nov 24, 2005 |
..the smallest country with a big castle
I was here on my first school trip back in 1972
with the Sacred Heart Boys College Droitwich
en route to Italy to visit some `brothers`in a
sister church in Como.
HISTORY
Vaduz, the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein with its 5'150
residents, is not only the seat of the authorities and the Parliament
called the Diet, but also, since 1939, of the Princely Residence.
The place was mentioned for the first time in a deed dating from 1150.
The name Vaduz comes from the Rhaeto-Romanic language and dates
from the time when the Romans ruled the province of Rhaetia.
The first documented record of the name dates from 1150. From the old
judicial district of Vaduz, the County of Vaduz was formed in 1342 by the
division of the territory of Sargans-Werdenberg and now constitutes the
greater part of the present Principality. The area was subsequently ruled
from Vaduz Castle (built about 1300), by the Counts of Werdenberg at
Vaduz, the Barons of Brandis from Emmental, the Counts of Sulz from
Klettgau in Baden and the Counts of Hohenems from Vorarlberg.
Emperor Rudolf II granted Vaduz the right to hold a market in 1592.
In 1712, Prince Johann Adam of Liechtenstein acquired the County of
Vaduz and in 1719 Emperor Karl VI united it with the other part of the
country, the Lordship of Schellenberg, and elevated the territory to the
Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein. Vaduz became the capital of the
whole of the country. Since 1938, Vaduz Castle has been the
permanent residence of the Princes of Liechtenstein.
The Principality of Liechtenstein is today an independent State
with more than 34,000 inhabitants on 160 sq. km in the Alpine area
between Switzerland and Austria. Vaduz lies on the East bank of the
Rhine at the foot of the mighty mountain range. The former peasant
village, known primarily for its fine wine, has become a busy capital
with banks, business houses and service companies.
Geography
The Principality of Liechtenstein lies on the East bank of the Rhine
between Switzerland and Austria. With a total area of 160 sq. km and
about 34,000 inhabitants, Liechtenstein is one of the smallest states
in the world.
Where does the prosperity come from?
The prosperity of the country is due on the one hand to its favorable
geographical location, a neutral area like that of Switzerland,
so that the two World Wars did not cause much damage to the small
country. On the other, the modest size of the country meant that its
infrastructure could be effectively developed at a relatively low cost. |
| Art Museum and post office location |
|  | Vaduz in figures
Aerial view of Vaduz
Residential population at 31.12.2004
Total inhabitants 5150
Vaduz citizens, male 755
Vaduz citizens, female 748
FL citizens, male 624
FL citizens, female 749
Foreign residents, male 1110
Foreign residents, female 1164
Number of households 2377
Basic data of Vaduz
Total area
Altitude
Population density (persons/ sq. km)
Average temperature (annual mean)
Precipitation (annual mean)
Agricultural land
- of which vineyards 17.3 sq. km
455 m.??.M
288
10.30 C
950mm
247ha
6.42ha
The Principality of Liechtenstein has been blessed with very little history. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss cantons.
A Roman road crossed the region from south to north, traversing the Alps by the Spl?gen pass and following the right bank of the Rhine at the edge of the floodplain, for long uninhabited because of periodic flooding. Roman villas have been excavated in Schaanwald and Nendeln. The late Roman influx of the Alemanni from the north is memorialized by the remains of a Roman fort at Schaan.
The area, part of Rhaetia, was incorporated into the Carolingian empire, and divided into countships, which became subdivided over the generations.
The medieval county of Vaduz was formed in 1342. The 15th century brought three wars and some devastation, but the 17th century was a lowpoint, with some plague, some skirmishing from the struggles of the Thirty Years War but most of all from a witch hunt, in which more than 100 persons were persecuted and executed. |
More History
The Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the Principality takes its name (rather than vice-versa), takes its name from Castle Liechtenstein in faraway Lower Austria, which it owned from at least 1140 until the 13th century and from 1807 onwards. Over the centuries, it acquired vast swathes of land, mostly in Moravia, Lower Austria and Styria, but all these expansive territories were held in fief under other more senior feudal lords, particularly under various lines of the Habsburg family, to which many Liechtensteins were close advisors. Thus, and without any territory held directly under the Imperial throne, the Liechtenstein dynasty was unable to meet a primary requirement to qualify for a seat in the Imperial diet, the Reichstag.
Prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein bought the domain of Schellenberg in 1699 and the county of Vaduz in 1712. The Prince Liechtenstein had wide landholdings in Austria, Bohemia and Moravia, but none of the lands were held directly from the Emperor. Thus the prince was barred from admittance to the Council of Princes and the prestige and influence that would entail. By acquiring these Lordships, which were directly subordinate to the Holy Empire, the Prince of Liechtenstein obtained his end. Vaduz took the name of the family that now ruled the county. On January 23, 1719, emperor Karl VI decreed that the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg be promoted to a principality with the name Liechtenstein for his servant Anton Florian of Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein became a sovereign state in 1806 when it joined Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. The French under Napoleon occupied the country for a few years, but Liechtenstein retained its independence in 1815 within the new German Confederation.In 1862, new Constitution was promulgated, which provided for a Diet representative of the people. In 1868, after the Confederation dissolved, Liechtenstein disbanded its army of 80 men and declared its permanent neutrality, which was respected during both World Wars.
Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced the country to conclude a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. In 1919 Liechtenstein entrusted its external relations to neutral Switzerland. In 1938 Prince Franz Josef II became the first Prince of Liechtenstein to take up permanent residence in Liechtenstein. He ruled from Vaduz until his death in 1989.
Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral) the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Liechtenstein became increasingly important as a financial center. In 1989, Prince Hans-Adam II succeeded his father to the throne, and in 1996, Russia returned the Liechtenstein family's archives, ending a long-running dispute between the two countries. In 1978, Liechtenstein became member of the Council of Europe, and then joined the United Nations in 1990, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991, and both the European Economic Area (EEA) and World Trade Organization in 1995.
In a referendum on March 16, 2003, Prince Hans-Adam, who had threatened to leave the country if he lost, won a large majority (64.3%) in favour of overhauling the constitution to effectively give him more powers than any other European monarch. The new constitution gave the prince the right to dismiss governments and approve judicial nominees and allowed him to veto laws simply by refusing to sign them within a six-month period.
On August 15, 2003, Hans-Adam announced he would step down in one year and hand over the reins to his son Alois.
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| Pros: | "Not difficult to get lost in this city and you can always see the castle at night" | | Cons: | "Not too much to do after 3 days here except the nice views" | | In A Nutshell: | "The small country with a big castle and good for coin and stamp collectors." |
budapest8's Vaduz Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 3 - Photos: 4 | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | Transportation
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for budapest8 about Vaduz | | | | |
globetrott Thu Jan 4, 2007 20:42 UTC
great pics and infos ! | MalenaN Fri Apr 14, 2006 04:44 UTC
Great intro picture! Vaduz Castle looks impressive! | sue_stone Thu Dec 8, 2005 13:30 UTC
I have recently added Liechtenstein to my must visit list! | DPando Fri Nov 25, 2005 01:13 UTC
what a pics man !!! great |
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