Vaduz for the weekend. What is Liechtenstein’s capital city famous for?

Vaduz is more of a town than a city. It lies on the Rhine River and is surrounded by the Rhaetian Alps. What attractions await tourists here?

[Photo: Leonhard Niederwimmer from Pixabay]

Seventy thousand dollars costs to rent the entire state of Liechtenstein for one night. Included in the price is a special currency issued for the duration of the rental and road signs changed for the occasion. The offer has gone unanswered since appearing on Airbnb a few years ago, except for one couple who planned to rent Liechtenstein for their wedding venue.

Where is Liechtenstein located?

Measuring 24 kilometers long, the country is made up of several mountain ranges and one small valley, all squeezed like a hot dog wiener between Austria and Switzerland. To me it has so far been associated only with postage stamps and horrendously high prices. Liechtenstein undoubtedly has a serious image problem. Almost no one takes it seriously, and for many it is an absurd invention from a cheesy operetta, I read in David Beattie’s monumental (for the dimensions of the research subject) history of Liechtenstein.

With each subsequent reading about the country, my curiosity only grew. With a population of just 37,000, the country seems to be one of the strangest places in modern Europe. The country has been continuously ruled since 1719 by a single family, after whom it is named, and at first glance gives the impression of a medieval open-air museum.

It is here that the bizarre feudal system still guarantees virtually unlimited power to the prince, and women only gained universal voting rights in 1984 (as a result of a male-only referendum that barely passed, with 51.3 percent. “in favor”).

Government House of Liechtenstein — [Photo: Photo by Rodrigo Curi from Pexels]

How is life in Liechtenstein?

I traveled to Liechtenstein in August and found myself straight into the celebration of the State Holiday (Staatsfeiertag), lavishly celebrated every year on the 15th of this month. As I learned on the spot, the holiday was introduced in 1940. — in the absence of any important dates in the state’s…