Liechtenstein

My Liechtenstein travel summary:

Visited: August 2004, April 2022

Duration of visit: 2 days

Capital city: Vaduz

Population: 38.000 (2022)

Liechtenstein travel blog reading time: 4 minutes

• Vaduz – small capital city near the Swiss border with only 5,500 inhabitants.
• Iconic parliament building, art museum and pedestrian zone.
• The castle overlooking Vaduz – still offering a home to the royal family.
• Unusual black vehicle registration plates.

Liechtenstein is a pocket country offering high quality of life at exaggerated prices, security for hidden investors, and a feeling of being out of place. The only country in the world entirely within the Alpine region receives fewer than 100,000 tourists a year. Apart from walking around Vaduz, I found few exciting places to visit or things to do during my Liechtenstein travel adventure.

Statistically, the 2^nd richest country in the world, provides prosperity to its inhabitants with GDP per capita at $165,000 in 2022.

However, this number can be somehow distorted since the country’s only billionaire for time is worth 50% of the entire nation’s GDP. His company, Ivoclar Vivadent, is actually the world largest producer of dental implants.

It was Saturday 30^th of April, just before 1^st of May – Labor Day in most of Europe. The capital city Vaduz was practically abandoned. I don’t think it gets really crowded at any time, but there were hardly any restaurants or shops opened. I only found the central church, several small museums, free parking, overpriced souvenirs and 12€ kebabs.

Since 2008, the State Parliament Building stands in the middle of Peter-Kaiser-Platz, in the immediate vicinity of the government building. Liechtenstein’s 25-member Parliament is the most outstanding landmark in the city center, dominating the state square in front of it. Munich architect Hansjörg Göritz designed the Long House, High House and Joining House as part of the Parliament complex.

Vaduz is small and easy to walk around, with a quiet charm despite having few places to visit or things to do.

It is impressive to find so many museums in such a small area. The most outstanding in terms of architecture and design is a museum for modern and contemporary art – Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein. The architects made the façade from seamlessly poured concrete containing black basalt rock and colored river gravel, then treated it to create a lively reflection.

I spotted several museums, the sculpture park, an open-air art exhibition along the main street. Works by Fernando Botero and other artists fill the streets and public spaces. I would have enjoyed eating at a traditional restaurant, but everything was closed, and the expensive kebab was not an option.

Vaduz Castle, on top of the hill, offers fantastic views over the whole valley, the entire country and beyond its borders. The palace is closed to the public because the Prince uses it as his official residence when he is in the country.

The castle was constructed as a fortress in the 12^th century, before living quarters were added in 1287. In 1939 the Prince moved in with his family and adopted Vaduz Castle as his official residence.

Princess Angela of Liechtenstein became the first woman of primarily African descent to marry into a reigning European dynasty.

She married Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein in January 2000. She was born in Bocas del Toro, Panama, where I met the woman of my life. The princess grew up mostly in the US, studied there, and later worked as a fashion designer.

One of my strongest memories from Liechtenstein travel adventure was seeing black “FL” license plates with numbers only. Few vehicles make this simple system possible. Liechtenstein assigns plates to owners, not vehicles.

Surprisingly, Hilti operates a large factory and research center for power tools on the outskirts of Vaduz. Finance, banking, offshore companies and high-tech development provide the main sources of income.

When I visit these extremely expensive countries, I always notice high-quality products, infrastructure and a high standard of living. People avoid cheap Chinese crap that becomes useless soon after purchase.

Few attractions and landmarks make Liechtenstein difficult to consider a typical travel destination. This country probably doesn’t need foreign travelers or tour groups. It has so many other options and incentives to keep the small population happy.

Most of them cross the border daily to work, either in Switzerland or Germany. Lichtenstein seems very clean, organized and quiet. The system works, and people enjoy a hassle-free life.

Open borders connect the country with its neighbors, avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy and costs for its small population.