Panoramic, Government building, Castle of Vaduz, Tre Cavalli (literally Three Horses) sculpture, Rotes Haus (literally Red House), Cathedral of St. Florin, Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts, House of Parliament
Vaduz (German pronunciation:[faˈdʊt͡s]ⓘor[faˈduːt͡s]ⓘ,[2]High Alemannic pronunciation: [faˈdot͡s])[3] is the capital of Liechtenstein and also the seat of the national parliament. The city, which is located along the Rhine, has 5,696 residents.[1] The most prominent landmark of Vaduz is Vaduz Castle, perched atop a steep hill overlooking the city. It is home to the reigning prince of Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein princely family. The city's distinctive architecture is also displayed in landmarks such as the Cathedral of St. Florin, Government House, City Hall, the National Art Gallery, as well as the National Museum. Although Vaduz is the best-known town in the principality internationally, it is not the largest; neighbouring Schaan has a larger population.
The name Vaduz had been first recorded as de Faduzes. The name of the settlement, like most other towns in the Rhine Valley region, is of Romance origin. The name can be traced back to Old Rhaeto-Romance root auadutg'aqueduct', which in turn evolved from the Latinaquaeductus.[3]
Vaduz is mentioned in historic 12th-century manuscripts as Faduzes. In 1322 a mention of the castle is made, which was sacked by the Swiss in 1499 during the Swabian War. The entire city was also destroyed.[4]
In the 17th century the Liechtenstein family was seeking a seat in the Imperial diet, the Reichstag. However, since they did not hold any territory that was directly under the Imperial throne, they were unable to meet the primary requirement to qualify.[5]
The family yearned for the added power a seat in the Imperial government would bring, and therefore sought to acquire lands that would be reichsunmittelbar, or held without any feudal personage other than the Holy Roman Emperor himself having rights on the land. After some time, the family was able to arrange the purchase of the minuscule Herrschaft ("Lordship") ofSchellenberg and countship of Vaduz (in 1699 and 1712, respectively) from the Hohenems. Tiny Schellenberg and Vaduz possessed exactly the political status required: no feudal lord other than the Emperor.[citation needed]
Thereby, on 23 January 1719, after the purchase had been duly made, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, decreed Vaduz and Schellenberg were united, and raised to the dignity of Fürstentum (principality) with the name "Liechtenstein" in honour of "[his] true servant, Anton Florian of Liechtenstein". It is on this date that Liechtenstein became a sovereign member state of the Holy Roman Empire. As a testament to the pure political expediency of the purchases, the Princes of Liechtenstein did not set foot in their new principality for over 120 years.[citation needed]
Vaduz is locally administered by the mayor and a 13-person municipal council, elected every four years since 1975.[6] The incumbent acting mayor is Florian Marxer, occupying the position following the resignation of Petra Miescher until a bi-election is held on 25 August 2024.[7]
Vaduz features an oceanic climate with warm summers and chilly winters. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as Marine West Coast Climate (Cfb).[9] The city experiences a noticeable increase in precipitation during the summer, but in general all twelve months see some precipitation. Vaduz receives, on average, approximately 900 mm (35.43 in) of precipitation per year.
Vaduz's warmest month, July, sees average high temperatures reach 25 °C (77 °F) while average low temperatures are about 14 °C (57 °F). The city's coldest month, January, sees average highs of 3 °C (37 °F) and average lows of −3 °C (27 °F).
Climate data for Vaduz (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973-present)
Vaduz Castle is the home of the reigning prince of Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein princely family. The castle is visible from almost any location in Vaduz, being perched atop a steep hill in the middle of the city. The Cathedral of St. Florin, Government House and City Hall display the various styles and periods of architecture in the city.
As of 2019, 5,696 people lived in Vaduz.[1] Foreigners resident in the city make up 42% of the population.[13]
With 67% the population is predominantly Roman Catholic, while the percentage of Catholics is significantly higher among residents with Liechtenstein nationality (81%) than among foreigner residents (47%). The largest minority religions in the city are Protestantism (10%) and Islam (8%).[14]
The National Art Gallery as well as the National Museum are located in Vaduz. The art gallery (Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein) is a museum of modern and contemporary art, also showing displays from the private princely Liechtenstein Collection, the main public display of which is in Vienna. The building is an architectural landmark built by the Swiss architects Morger, Degelo and Kerez. It was completed in November 2000 and forms a "black box" of tinted concrete and black basalt stone. The museum collection is also the national art collection of Liechtenstein. The Liechtenstein National Museum is showing a permanent exhibition on the cultural and natural history of Liechtenstein as well as special exhibitions. There are also the Postage Stamp Museum and a Ski Museum. Vaduz has a kind of folksong that had been greatly affected by Switzerland, named as 'Köpugeäng'.
Vaduz has a lively tourist industry, despite being one of the very few capital cities in the world without an airport – the nearest major airport is that of Zürich, at a distance of 120 km (75 mi).
Vaduz has no railway station as such and is not directly served by a railway line. Schaan-Vaduz is one of the four train stations serving Liechtenstein. It is located in the town of Schaan, a couple of kilometres north of Vaduz. It is owned by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). The station is served by eighteen regional, stopping trains per day, nine in each direction between Switzerland and Austria. It is situated on the international and electrified Feldkirch-Buchs line, between the station of in Buchs SG (in Switzerland) and the stop of Forst Hilti (in the northern suburb of Schaan).
Vaduz has two primary schools, Äule Primary School, near the Vaduzer-Saal;[15] and Ebenholz Primary School,[16] near the University of Liechtenstein, which is also located in the city. Both schools have the same secretariat and administration.[15] The school assignments of children are largely determined by their street addresses.[16] There are four kindergarten sites, of the Kindergarten Bartlegrosch, in Vaduz.[17]
Barbara Erni (1743–1785) thief and confidence trickster, the last person to be executed in Liechtenstein
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1906–1989 in Grabs), the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 1938 until his death; lived full-time in the principality
Aurelia Frick (born 1975) a Liechtenstein politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture.
^ abHans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein. Band 2: Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan. Hrsg. vom Historischen Verein für das Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Vaduz 1999, S. 430–435.
^"KindergartenArchived 13 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine." Commune of Vaduz. Retrieved on May 12, 2016. "Kindergarten Bartlegrosch Bartlegroschstrasse 31 9490 Vaduz " and "Schwefelstrasse 15 9490 Vaduz" and "Schimmelgasse 13 9490 Vaduz" and "Weiherweg 15 9490 Vaduz"
^"Weiterführende Schulen Schaan." Commune of Schaan. Retrieved on May 12, 2016. "Realschule Schaan Duxgass 55 9494 Schaan" and "Sportschule Liechtenstein Duxgass 55 9494 Schaan" and『Realschule Vaduz Schulzentrum Mühleholz II 9490 Vaduz』and "Oberschule Vaduz Schulzentrum Mühleholz II 9490 Vaduz"
^"Biedermann, Gisela". Historical Encyclopedia of the Principality of Liechtenstein (in German). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
Liechtenstein
Media related to Vaduz at Wikimedia Commons
