LIECHTENSTEIN
A MICRONATION OF MYSTERY
Two centuries ago, there were dozens of independent states in German-speaking Europe – Today, there are only four: Germany, Austria, Switzerland… and Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein is one of those countries that people have heard of but few know exactly where it is and even fewer have ever visited – in 2016 it was Europe’s second least visited country with a mere 69,000 visitors according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Yet this tiny, nation offers more than you'd imagine: from long-standing history to sky-high mountains; cliff-hanging castles to odd cultural quirks.
About the size of Manhattan, Liechtenstein snuggles between Switzerland and Austria – it’s truly landlocked, with no seaport or airport – among mountain ranges that rise steep and rugged above the Rhine. Besides the sheer novelty value of visiting one of the world's tiniest and richest countries, Liechtenstein is pure fairy-tale stuff – a mountain governed by an iron-willed monarch, embedded deep in the Alps and crowned by turreted castles.
Only 25km long by 12km wide – at its broadest point – Liechtenstein made up of just 11 villages and doesn’t have an international airport – access is from Switzerland or Austria by local bus. The western, more populated side of the country is in the Rhine Valley and relatively flat; the east is mountainous.
THE CREATION OF LIECHTENSTEIN
As with many European countries, Liechtenstein's history is one of dependencies, coincidences, marriages between noble families and political wrangling. It's only from 1800 onwards that a tangible sense of what it means to be a Liechtensteiner emerged.
After being ruled by various noble families, Prince Johann Adam purchased the Dominion of Schellenberg and the County of Vaduz in 1699 and 1712 respectively. On 23 January 1719
"If Switzerland is considered the Soul of the Alps then, Liechtenstein is truly its Heart, a bowl in the mountains — high ridges on the east, milky baby Rhine River still giddy from its tumble out of the Alps running south to north on its west, and the stout and classic Gutenberg Castle guarding the entry to the valley on the south."