Liechtenstein’s a walk in the park
Tim Richards walks the length of the small European principality on a walking trail built to celebrate the country’s 300th birthday.
especially when you factor in the small vineyards that can be seen on slopes throughout the principality.
After Balzers, the trail heads up from the valley into steeper territory. Leander says an ancient Roman road made its way through here to avoid Rhine floods. I browse an interesting section on the app about 17th-century witch hunts, then we reach Triesen. This village is dotted with beautiful old timber buildings, including one that served as Liechtenstein’s first Protestant church. Nearby is an 1870 textile factory, which played a role in one of the earliest efforts to industrialise the country.
Above Triesen are quiet residential neighbourhoods, and the path threads between old houses with pitched, tiled roofs and private vineyards. We reach the compact Chapel of St Mamertus, a beautiful building with a mysterious past. The app says it’s probably been here since the 9th or 10th century. Damaged in a Swiss civil war in the 15thcentury and rebuilt, it was renovated in the 20th.
History aside, it has a marvellous location, an ideal spot for a break along the trail. Covered by lawn, the chapel’s grounds provide a great view over the village, the Rhine beyond it, and the mountains all around. There’s the aroma of freshcut grass in the air, and a postcard perfection about the scene.
From here the trail really hits its stride, leaving the roads and climbing through leafy green forest. As it ascends towards the village of Triesenberg, it passes farms, including one with alpacas and llamas. Attached to the farm is a farm door outlet that sells hats and gloves made from llama wool, as well as basic groceries.
The app is full of information about alpine farming at this point, along with tales of hunting and poaching. There’s also a section about tourism, which explains how Triesenberg became a drawcard for visitors from the 19th century on. Several guesthouses were built to cater for the trade, but of those only the Gasthaus Edelweiss remains.
I’m particularly interested in that guesthouse, because it’s where the second stage ends, and it’s here we stop for lunch. Facing a small square with a fountain, which is flanked by a town hall, church and shops, the Edelweiss is clearly at the town’s heart. Still a family-run affair, its restaurant is a jolly place, full of chatty locals enjoying a schnitzel and a beer.
After lunch, Leander (who lives nearby) takes me by car to Prufatscheng, a village on the third stage of the trail and, at 1107 metres, its highest point. Founded by the mountain-dwelling Walser people, it’s a cluster of traditional timber farmhouses overlooking a meadow dotted with bright yellow dandelions, with a view of Swiss mountains beyond.
There’s more to Liechtenstein than such panoramic views, but you have to admit they are stunning, and the Liechtenstein Trail is a fine way to reach them. – Traveller
The writer was hosted by Liechtenstein Marketing.