Liechtenstein

Liechtensteinofficially called Principality of Liechtenstein(in German, Fürstentum Liechtenstein;pronounced/хfststntutu intendedm εl πçtn/・ta( listen)), is a sovereign, central-European landlocked country whose form of government is the constitutional monarchy, located between Switzerland and Austria. Its territory is the result of the union of two enclaves: Vaduz and Schellenberg, constituted in a total of eleven communities. The capital is Vaduz and the most populous city is Schaan.

The principality was known to be considered a tax haven. Although it is not a member of the European Union, since December 2011 it has been part of the European area of free movement.

Liechtenstein is one of the six micro-states in Europe. It is also, together with Uzbekistan, one of the only two countries in the world that is doubly isolated from the sea, that is, from Liechtenstein you have to cross at least two borders to reach the sea.

History

Early history

The oldest traces of human existence in the area of present-day Liechtenstein date back to the Middle Paleolithic. Neolithic agricultural settlements appeared in the valleys around 5300 BC. c.

The Hallstatt and La Tène cultures flourished in the late Iron Age, beginning in 450 BC. C., possibly under the influence of the Greek and Etruscan civilizations. One of the most important tribal groups in the Alpine region were the Helvetii. In the year 58 a. C., in the battle of Bibracte, Julius Caesar defeated the Alpine tribes, thus putting the region under the control of the Roman Republic. In the year 15 a. C., Tiberius —later the second Roman emperor— conquered the entire alpine zone with his brother Drusus. Liechtenstein was then integrated into the Roman province of Raetia. The area was garrisoned by the Roman army, which maintained large legionary camps in Brigantium (Austria), near Lake Constance, and in Magia (Switzerland). The Romans built and maintained a road through the territory. Around the year 260, Brigantium was destroyed by the Alemanni, a Germanic people who settled in the area around the year 450.

In the Early Middle Ages, the Germans settled on the eastern Swiss plateau in the 5th century and in the valleys of the Alps in the late 8th century century, with Liechtenstein lying at the eastern end of Alamannia. In the VI century, the entire region became part of the Frankish Empire after Clovis I's victory over the Alemanni at Tolbiac in the year 504 AD. C.

The area that would later become Liechtenstein remained under Frankish hegemony (Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties) until the Treaty of Verdun divided the Carolingian empire in AD 843. C., after the death of Charlemagne in 814. The territory of present-day Liechtenstein was part of East Francia. It would later be reunited with Middle France under the Holy Roman Empire, around AD 1000. Until about the year 1100, the predominant language of the area was Romansh, but from then on German began to gain ground in the territory. In 1300, another Germanic population—the Walser, originally from Valais—entered the region and settled; the mountain village of Triesenberg today retains traces of the Walser dialect.

Since the founding of the dynasty

The current Principality of Liechtenstein was in antiquity a territory belonging to the province of Recia (Rætia), in the Roman Empire. For centuries, this territory, geographically remote from European strategic interests, contributed little to the history of the continent. Before the rule of the current dynasty, the region was a fief of one of the main branches of the House of Habsburg. The House of Liechtenstein that currently rules has its origins in faraway Silesia.

The Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the Principality takes its name, were among the most powerful noble families in the Holy Roman Empire, there are references to Hugh Liechtenstein (ancestor of the current prince) in 1136 during the Middle Ages. Despite this, and although they governed large territories of the empire, these were granted in a feudal regime under the domain of other lords, mainly the House of Habsburg. Therefore, without owning any imperial territory with full control, the house of Liechtenstein did not meet the essential requirement to be part of the Reichstag.

Vaduz Castle.

On January 18, 1699, Prince John Adam Andrew of Liechtenstein bought the lordship of Schellenberg and on February 22, 1712, the county of Vaduz. By acquiring these two domains he claimed a place in the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire. On January 23, 1719, Emperor Charles VI decreed that the county of Vaduz and the lordship of Schellenberg were united to form a principality with the name of Liechtenstein in honor of Prince Antonio Florián of Liechtenstein, his subject. It is at this time that Liechtenstein becomes a sovereign State of the Empire. Ironically, although as proof of the political importance of these territorial purchases, the princes of Liechtenstein did not set foot on their domains in the newly created principality until several decades later.

In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was invaded by France. This fact brought great consequences for Liechtenstein. The legal and political machines of the Empire collapsed when Emperor Francis II abdicated and the Empire itself dissolved. The result was that Liechtenstein no longer had obligations to any feudal lords beyond its borders. Some modern publications incorrectly attribute Liechtenstein's sovereignty to these events. In reality, their prince became the sole sovereign lord of the principality.

Until the end of World War I, Liechtenstein was closely linked to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced the country to conclude a monetary and customs union with Switzerland. When Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the principality found itself sharing a border with German territory, for which reason it relied on Switzerland to maintain its neutrality, although, during the development of World War II, when Hitler devastated Europe with his conquests, he feared for his own stability. To avoid an invasion, he collaborated with the Axis powers, especially when it came to entering capital of dubious origin in their banks.

In 1993, the youngest prime minister in Liechtenstein's history came to power at the age of 28, Mario Frick, and in 2000 the country joined the European Economic Area (EEA), forcing it to redefine certain terms of the union customs with Switzerland, which does not belong to that association.

Government and politics

Prince John Adam II of Liechtenstein, photographed by Erling Mandelmann in 1974.

Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy, headed by the prince, or Fürst, currently John Adam II, who succeeded his father after his father's death in 1989. State sovereignty is shared between the prince and the citizens, who elect a parliament. Liechtenstein's parliament, the Landtag, is made up of 25 representatives chosen by the people. A five-member legislative council is responsible for daily political affairs.

In a referendum held on July 1, 1984, male voters allowed women the right to vote in national (though not local) elections, a victory for Prince John Adam, who fully supported this referendum. change of legislation. Unlike other constitutional monarchies, Liechtenstein's constitution assigns important powers to the prince, which has caused some of those powers to cause some controversy in recent years. Among these powers, the prince can veto laws passed by parliament.

However, in a popular referendum held in March 2003, he reinforced the constitutional position of the ruling dynasty of Liechtenstein. Prior to the referendum, Prince John Adam had announced that he and his family would leave Liechtenstein to live in to Vienna, Austria, leaving the possibility of Liechtenstein becoming a republic if his house powers were not endorsed. The people in a referendum confirmed the proposal.

According to the Liechtenstein constitution, the government is a collegiate body made up of five ministers, including the prime minister. Each has a deputy who participates in collegiate government meetings if the minister is not available. The president of the government, the other ministers, and their alternates are appointed by the prince, on the recommendation of Parliament. The term of office is four years.

In March 2021, another coalition government was formed, with three ministers from the Patriotic Union (VU), and two from the Progressive Civic Party (FBP). The current government team is made up of:

• Prime Minister Daniel Risch (VU)
• Deputy Prime Minister Sabine Monauni (FBP)
• Minister Manuel Frick (FBP)
• Minister Dominique Hasler (VU)
• Minister Graziella Marok-Wachter (VU)

Executive Branch

Government headquarters in Vaduz.

The five-member government constitutes the executive. It is made up of the head of government and four advisers. Since 2013, the government has been organized into five ministries (Presidential Affairs and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Society, Interior and Infrastructure). The areas related to economy, justice, education, environment, sports and culture are assigned to the different ministries. Each member of the government is the head of a ministry and bears the title of minister. The head of government since March 25, 2021 is Daniel Risch (VU). The head of government and government advisers are appointed by the reigning Prince on the proposal of Parliament. With the controversial constitutional reform of 2003, Article 80 of the Constitution gave the reigning Prince the power to dismiss the Government or – in agreement with Parliament – individual Government advisers at any time and without the need to give explanations. The reigning Prince is the head of the Government.

Sabine Monauni (FBP) is part of the government as vice-president. Other members of the government are Manuel Frick (FBP), Dominique Hasler (VU) and Graziella Marok-Wachter (VU).

Since the administrative reorganization of 2013, the Liechtenstein National Administration now comprises 22 official offices and 12 staff offices, as well as 8 diplomatic missions abroad. Liechtenstein's sovereignty makes the administration very large relative to the number of inhabitants. The largest official offices are the Construction and Infrastructure Office, the National Police, the Justice Office, the National Economy Office, the Tax Administration and the Education Office. The Financial Control Authority and the Data Protection Authority are subordinate to Parliament, the Financial Market Authority (FMA) is a supervisory authority independent of the administration.

Legislative branch

House of Parliament in Vaduz

Legislative power rests with the Reigning Prince and the Parliament of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Landtag des Fürstentums Liechtenstein). Parliament is made up of 25 deputies elected by the people for four years according to the proportional representation system. The people vote in two circumscriptions, with 10 deputies elected in the Low Country and 15 in the High Country. Legislation is defined in Article 65 of the Constitution. According to this article, no law can be approved or amended without the participation of Parliament.

After a law is passed by Parliament, it must be signed by the Reigning Prince (Fürsten), countersigned by the Head of Government (Regierungschef) and published in the Official Gazette before it definitively enters into force. If a law is not sanctioned by the reigning Prince within six months, it is considered rejected.

In Liechtenstein's political landscape, two Christian-oriented popular parties play the leading role, the Progressive Citizens' Party (Fortschrittliche Bürgerpartei -FBP) and the Patriotic Union (Vaterländische Union - VU). They are in a coalition and form the government. The Progressive Citizens Party is more represented in the Low Country and considers itself loyal to the princes, economically liberal and concerned with traditions, while the Union of the Fatherland dominates the High Country and is more committed to socio-political issues. Other than that, there are no major ideological differences between the two big parties.

In the 2017 state elections, the FBP lost 4.8% of the vote, while the VU won 0.2%. However, the FBP continued to be the party with the most votes, with a total of 35.2%, followed by the VU, with 33.7%. The electoral group Die Unabhängigen (DU), which was first elected in 2013, got 18.4% of the vote. The Free List (FL), which is a green alternative, also gained 1.5%. As a result of this result, the FBP received 9 deputies in the Landtag, the VU 8 deputies, the DU 5 deputies and the FL 3 deputies. In 2018, Johannes Kaiser deputy resigned from the FBP parliamentary group and has been a deputy without game. This reduced the FBP's mandate strength to 8 seats.

Judicial branch

District Court in Vaduz

According to Article 1 of the Law on Judicial Organization (GOG), the civil and criminal judiciary has three instances: the Principality District Court, the Principality Court of Appeal and the Principality Supreme Court, all of which located in Vaduz. The Supreme Court of the Principality and the High Court of the Principality decide in the form of a senate, while the Court of Justice of the Principality has single judges in civil cases and, in most cases, also in criminal cases, according to Art. GOG 2. In civil and criminal cases, the right to appeal to the third instance is partially limited.

The independent administrative judiciary is exercised by the Administrative Court of the Prince, which, in accordance with Art. 78, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the National Administration Law, decides on the decisions of the internal administrative appeal authorities (government or administrative appeal authority).

The Liechtenstein Constitutional Court is also subordinate to the ordinary courts, to which final decisions can be appealed with the extraordinary legal remedy of an individual complaint in accordance with art. 15 of the Constitutional Court Law.

Judicial posts in the Principality of Liechtenstein are publicly advertised for applications. Suitable candidates are proposed for election by a body composed of the reigning Prince and an equal number of representatives of the reigning Prince and parliament, which in turn proposes the elected judges to the reigning Prince for appointment (art. 96 of the Constitution of Liechtenstein). Judges are appointed by the reigning Prince.

Foreign Policy

Malta Consulate in Schaan, Liechtenstein

Lacking political or military power, Liechtenstein has tried to preserve its sovereignty for the past 200 years through membership in legal communities. International cooperation and European integration are, therefore, constants in Liechtenstein's foreign policy, whose objective is to continue safeguarding the country's sovereignty recognized by international law. Decisive for the internal political legitimacy and sustainability of this foreign policy were and are the strong decision-making mechanisms of citizen-oriented and direct democracy, which are anchored in Liechtenstein in the 1921 Constitution.

Important historical stages in Liechtenstein's integration and cooperation policy were its accession to the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806, to the German Confederation in 1815, the conclusion of bilateral customs and currency agreements with the Danube Monarchy in 1852 and, finally, the Customs Treaty with Switzerland in 1923, which was followed by a whole series of other important bilateral treaties.

Post-war economic reconstruction was followed by accession to the Statute of the International Court of Justice in 1950, in 1975 Liechtenstein signed the Helsinki Final Act of the CSCE (now OSCE) along with 34 other states, in 1978 Liechtenstein joined in the Council of Europe and on September 18, 1990 Liechtenstein was admitted to the United Nations (UN).

In 1991 Liechtenstein joined the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) as a full member, and since 1995 it has been a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2008, Liechtenstein joined the Schengen/Dublin Agreement together with Switzerland. From an economic and integration policy perspective, EEA and EU relations occupy a special position in Liechtenstein's foreign policy. The Crown Prince of Liechtenstein also participates in the annual meetings of the Heads of State of the German-speaking countries (consisting of EU and non-EU members).

Relations with Switzerland are particularly extensive due to close cooperation in many fields; Switzerland performs tasks in some places that would be difficult for the Principality to manage on its own due to its small size. Since the year 2000, Switzerland has appointed an ambassador to Liechtenstein, who, however, resides in Bern. Since the 1923 Customs Treaty with Switzerland, Liechtenstein's consular representation has been carried out mainly by Switzerland.

Liechtenstein maintains direct diplomatic missions in Vienna, Bern, Berlin, Brussels, Strasbourg, and Washington, D.C., as well as permanent missions in New York and Geneva to the United Nations. Currently, diplomatic missions from 78 countries are accredited to Liechtenstein, including but the majority reside in Bern (Switzerland). The embassy in Brussels coordinates contacts with the European Union, Belgium and also with the Holy See.

For a long time, diplomatic relations with Germany were maintained through a non-resident ambassador, ie a contact person who did not reside permanently in Germany. Since 2002, however, Liechtenstein has had a permanent ambassador in Berlin, while the German embassy in Switzerland is also responsible for the Principality. The Liechtenstein Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers the contacts very fruitful and important for the development of the country, especially in the economic sphere. However, conflicts over the handling of bank and tax data have repeatedly strained relations.

On September 2, 2009, Liechtenstein and Germany signed an agreement on cooperation and information exchange in tax matters. The text of the agreement follows the OECD model agreement and provides for the exchange of information on tax matters, upon request, starting from the 2010 fiscal year. In addition, Liechtenstein considers the Federal Republic as an important partner in safeguarding its interests. in European integration. In the cultural field, the promotion of projects plays a particularly important role. For example, the Hilti Foundation funded the exhibition "Sunken Treasures of Egypt" in Berlin, and the State donated 20,000 euros after the fire at the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar.

Security and defense

The Liechtenstein National Police is responsible for maintaining order in the country. It is made up of 87 field agents and 38 civil servants, for a total of 125 employees. All agents are equipped with light weapons. The country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The Liechtenstein prison houses few, if any, inmates, and those with sentences of more than two years are transferred to Austrian jurisdiction. The Liechtenstein National Police maintains a trilateral treaty with Austria and Switzerland that allows for close cross-border cooperation between the police forces of the three countries.

Liechtenstein Police

Liechtenstein follows a policy of neutrality and is one of the few countries in the world that does not maintain an army. The army was suppressed shortly after the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, in which Liechtenstein had an army of 80 men, although they did not engage in any combat. There were no casualties, in fact the unit numbered 81 on its return due to an Austrian military liaison who accompanied the army back home. The demise of the German Confederation in that war released Liechtenstein from its international obligation to maintain an army, and the parliament seized this opportunity and refused to provide funding for one. The Prince objected, as such a move would render the country defenseless, but he relented on February 12, 1868, and disbanded the force.

The last soldier to serve under the colors of Liechtenstein died in 1939 at the age of 95.

In the 1980s, the Swiss military fired shells during an exercise and mistakenly burned an area of forest inside Liechtenstein. The incident is said to have been settled "with a case of white wine".

In March 2007, a 170-man Swiss infantry unit got lost during a training exercise and mistakenly crossed 0.9 miles (1.5 km) into Liechtenstein. The accidental invasion ended when the unit realized its mistake and turned back. The Swiss army later informed Liechtenstein of the incursion and offered official apologies, to which a spokesman for the internal ministry replied: "No problem, these things happen."

On April 7, 2014, it was reported that bank boss Jürgen Frick of Bank Frick & Co. based in Balzers, was shot and killed in a Balzers parking lot. The suspect, Jürgen Hermann, was found to have committed suicide after shooting the bank boss. Hermann is said to have been feuding with the bank for several years before the shooting took place. Hermann called himself the "Robin Hood of Liechtenstein" on a website he participated in. Hermann was also a former fund manager.

In 2017, Liechtenstein signed the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Human Rights

In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), it has signed or ratified:

Status of major international human rights instruments

	International treaties
	CESCR		CCPR			CERD	CED	CEDAW		CAT		CRC			MWC	CRPD
	CESCR	CESCR-OP	CCPR	CCPR-OP1	CCPR-OP2-DP			CEDAW	CEDAW-OP	CAT	CAT-OP	CRC	CRC-OP-AC	CRC-OP-SC		CRPD	CRPD-OP
Pertenence
Signed and ratified, signed, but not ratified, neither signed nor ratified, without information, it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies.

Territorial organization

Administrative division of Liechtenstein.

Liechtenstein is divided into eleven municipalities (Gemeinden - singular Gemeinde), most of which have only one village. These are the following:

• Vaduz
• Schaan
• Balzers
• Triesen
• Eschen
• Mauren
• Triesenberg
• Ruggell
• Gamprin
• Schellenberg
• Planken

Liechtenstein's municipalities are divided between the two constituencies of Unterland and Oberland. The political division of the country is historical; the Unterland depends on Schellenberg, the Oberland of the county of Vaduz.

The communities Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Ruggell and Schellenberg belong to Unterland; the municipalities of Balzers, Planken, Schaan, Triesen, Triesenberg and Vaduz belong to the Oberland, which has a much larger area. The autonomy of Liechtenstein's communities is in the upper range compared to the other central European states along with Switzerland. Despite their small size, the municipalities have complex shapes in terms of their territorial extension. In addition to a main part, seven municipalities also comprise one or more enclaves. Citizens' cooperatives, which exist in about half of Liechtenstein's municipalities, own forests and pastures for collective use, as well as parceled areas left for private use.

The municipalities of Liechtenstein have the particularity of possessing the right to secede from the Union by majority vote.

Geography

Emphasis of the Principality of Liechtenstein.

• Localization coordinates: 47°16′N 9°32′E / 47.267, 9.533

Liechtenstein is located in Central Europe, in the Rhine Valley in the Alps. The country's border is 75 km long, 34 km of them to the western and southern part of Liechtenstein bordering Switzerland, a natural division formed by the Rhine River; to the east it borders Austria with a border of 41 km. The eastern part of the country is at a higher altitude, and its highest point is the Grauspitz, at 2,599 m a.s.l. no. m..

Liechtenstein has no coast, it is like Uzbekistan a country that not only does not have access to the sea, but neither do any of the countries with which it shares a border.

The terrain is mountainous for most of its extent due to the Alps, with the Rhine Valley in its western third. The lowest point is at Ruggeller Riet with an elevation of 430 ms. no. m..

As natural resources, it has arable land and due to its mountainous shape and fluvial quantity it has hydroelectric potential.

Due to its geographical conditions, winter sports can be practiced in winter.

• Land use: (1993 data)
  • Arable land: 24 %
  • Permanent cultivation: 0 %
  • Permanent paste: 16 %
  • Forests: 35%
  • Other: 25%
  • Irrigated land: no
  • Natural hazards: none

Climate

Fields in Balzers seen from the Castle of Gutenberg.

Despite its alpine location, the prevailing winds from the south temper Liechtenstein's climate. Its climate is continental, with cloudy and cold winters, with frequent rain and snowfall. Summers are cool to slightly warm, cloudy, and humid.

Average Vaduz climate parameters, Liechtenstein (1981-2010)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	4.3	5.9	11.1	15.1	19.8	22.3	24.5	23.7	19.7	15.5	8.9	5.1	14.7
Average temperature (°C)	0.7	2.0	6.2	9.9	14.4	17.0	19.0	18.4	14.8	10.9	5.1	1.8	10.0
Temp. medium (°C)	-2.8	-1.8	1.9	4.8	9.3	12.1	14.0	13.9	10.5	6.7	1.7	-1.4	5.7
Total precipitation (mm)	41	38	57	55	86	115	138	142	102.	63	59	52	947
Nevadas (cm)	14.2	14.4	6.4	0.4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.7	11.9	52
Precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	7.3	6.9	9.4	9.6	11.9	12.8	13.2	13.2	9.8	8.3	9.0	8.4	119.8
Days of snowfall (≥ 1.0 cm)	3.9	3.9	2.1	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.4	3.3	14.8
Hours of sun	70	91	124	144	166	170	194	177	145	116	68	52	1516
Relative humidity (%)	75	72	67	65	67	71	72	75	77	76	78	77	73
Source: MeteoSwiss

The country's climate is relatively mild despite its mountainous location. It is strongly influenced by the action of the foehn (warm and dry autumn wind), so the vegetation period is prolonged in spring and autumn and temperatures around 15 °C due to strong foehn are not uncommon even in winter. The upstream Swiss and Vorarlberg mountain ranges provide protection from cold polar and Atlantic air, creating a typical inland alpine protective layer. The principality has orchards with leafy meadows and a long tradition of viticulture. Liechtenstein's small land area hardly plays a role in climatic differences, but the vertical division into different altitudes is of great importance, which is why significant climatic differences arise.

Flowers in the Ruggeler Riet Nature Reserve

In winter the temperature rarely drops below 15 degrees below zero, while in summer the average temperatures range between 20 and 28 degrees. Annual precipitation measurements amount to an average of around 900 to 1,200 millimeters, in the direct alpine region, however precipitation is often up to 1,900 millimeters. The average duration of insolation is about 1600 hours a year.

Flora and fauna

Liechtenstein can boast an exceptionally diverse fauna, despite its small area of 160 km². The country has around 55 species of mammals (compared to 83 in Switzerland, with an area 250 times larger), 140 breeding birds (205), 7 reptiles (16) and 10 amphibians (20). There is also a lot of diversity among invertebrates. As an example, there are 120 kinds of butterflies (206 in Switzerland) or 65 of flies (93).

Liechtenstein's high altitude difference, which ranges from 430 to 2,600 meters, means that there is a wide variety of animals in very small spaces. In the Alpine region, wildlife is still largely untouched. In addition to the four main types of deer, chamois, ibex and eagles that make up the Nordic group of animals, there are the hare and mountain ptarmigan in the southern region. The alpine fauna also includes the marmot, the bat, the black grouse, the three-toed woodpecker, the owl or the yellow-billed chough, among others.

The alpine salamander is native to the Liechtenstein Alps, and in rainy weather you can find amphibians such as frogs, toads and alpine newts, as well as reptiles such as the viper, the only poisonous snake in Liechtenstein.

Valley and mountainside forests dominate the Liechtenstein landscape. At the highest altitudes the deer, the fox and the badger stand out. In the middle altitudes it touches the black woodpecker, the white-backed woodpecker and the eagle owl. In the rotten wood of the trees near the Castle of Vaduz also live the stag beetle, the longicorn beetle, and even the beetles known as Rosalia alpina are rarely found.

Steg in Liechtenstein

Much more threatened than the fauna of the mid and upper altitudes are the fauna of the lowland wetlands of Liechtenstein. To preserve the species in the swamps, the Government decreed the protection of the two largest wetlands: Ruggeller Riet, with a total of 96 hectares and Schwab Brunnen with 50 hectares. Wetlands are among the richest and most diverse habitats in species. In Ruggeller Riet more than 400 species of beetles and 80 spiders have been detected, including some very rare ones, only known from a few places in Central Europe. It is also of special importance for birds, with 30 species of breeding birds such as quail or stonechat, including some that are highly threatened worldwide.

Hydrography

The Rhine is the largest and largest body of water in Liechtenstein. With a length of approximately 27 kilometers, it represents the natural border with Switzerland and is of great importance for Liechtenstein's water supply. In addition, the Rhine is an important recreational area for the population. With 10 kilometres, the Samina is the second longest river in the Principality. The troubled river rises in Triesenberg and flows into the Ill in Austria (near Feldkirch).

The only naturally formed lake in Liechtenstein is the Gampriner Seelein, which was formed in 1927 by a flood of the Rhine with enormous erosion. In addition, there are other artificially created lakes, which are mainly used to generate electricity. One of them is the Steg Reservoir, the largest lake in Liechtenstein.

Mountains

Grauspitzen the highest mountain in Liechtenstein

About half of Liechtenstein's territory is mountainous. Liechtenstein lies entirely in the Rhaetikon, so according to the division of the Alps it is assigned to the Eastern Alps (division of the Alps into two parts) or to the central Alps (division of the Alps into three parts).

The highest point in Liechtenstein is the Vordere Grauspitz (Vordergrauspitz) with an altitude of 2,599 m above sea level, while the lowest point is the Ruggeller Riet with an altitude of 430 m above sea level.

In total, there are 32 mountains in Liechtenstein with an altitude of at least 2000 meters. The Falknishorn, with 2,452 meters above sea level, is the fifth highest mountain in Liechtenstein and represents the southernmost point of the country. The Liechtenstein-Graubünden-Vorarlberg border triangle is the Naafkopf (2570 m a.s.l.).

In addition to the peaks of the Alpine chain, which belong to the Calcareous Alps, two inselbergs, the Fläscherberg (1,135 m asl) in the south and the Eschnerberg (698 m asl) in the north, rise from the valley of the Rhine and belong to the Helvetic cover or flysch zone of the Alps The Eschnerberg represents an important area of settlement in the Unterland of Liechtenstein.

Geology

Liechtenstein is located at the western end of the Rhaetikon and thus at the western geological end of the Eastern Alps. The country occupies a central position on the east-west border area of the Alps. The geological structure of Liechtenstein is made up of three regionally different marine areas.

Falknis on the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein's geological structure forms in three regionally distinct marine environments, which formed at different times and on different facies. The depositional environments form the tripartite geological structure of the Principality in tent-like mantles: at the bottom are the Western Alps, the Helvetic Calcareous Alps. The rocks come from the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The sedimentation occurred in a shallow sea that gradually became deeper. In the process, sandstone and marl were formed, as well as limestone.

In the center, east of the Rhine, which Liechtenstein borders on the west, is a thick layered pack with various flysch rocks. They are attributed to the peninsular period. The origin of the marine deposits is dated in the Late Cretaceous and the Early Tertiary. Its composition consists of alternating layers of mudstone, sandstone, marl and calcareous sandstone. The southern flysch zone was covered by a sedimentary mass.

The highest geologic floor of the Eastern Alps is formed by the cover of the Lechtal, which breaks up into icebergs in Liechtenstein.

Geomorphology

Saroja at the border between Austria and Liechtenstein

Geomorphologically, Liechtenstein consists of two parts: On one side is the plain along the Rhine in the west, while on the other side in the east are high mountains. A special geological feature is that the western end of the Rätikon forms the geological end of the Eastern Alps as part of a microplate torn from Africa. The rocks of Liechtenstein's mountains and hills are made up almost entirely of marine sediments. At the top is the Lechtal deck, made up of several icebergs, lying on top of a large layer of flysch rock. Beneath the flysch rock layer are the Western Calcareous Alps, which formed by lithogenesis in the Mesozoic and Tertiary periods on the "primitive Mediterranean" Tethys. Through processes of tectonic movement from the south and east, the African plate overlapped and overlapped with the European Helveticum and Flysch sheets. Tectogenesis gave rise to extensional processes, folding, metamorphosis, flaking, and fracture formation. On the slopes of steep valleys, the African plate formed a new layer.

Short streams formed on the slopes of steep valleys. This led to the formation of ragged valleys, ditches, ravines, and ravines. Due to the ease of erosion of the flysch rock and the main dolomite found there at the same time, rubble cones and mounds were formed. At the end of the Würmkaltzeit, when glaciers up to 1,700 m high were in the territory of present-day Liechtenstein, ice flows from the Rhine glacier were deposited, carrying with them moraine material that was transported from the south. Around 14,500 B.C. C., the Rhine glacier had definitely withdrawn from the Liechtenstein area. Drumlins up to 1,600 m in length appeared on the southeast flank of the Eschnerberg.

The Rhine River marks part of the limits between Switzerland and Liechtenstein and has produced various floods over the years

Natural disasters

Floods have always been a threat in Liechtenstein, especially those from the Rhine. The first recorded Rhine flood dates from 1343. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, 48 floods can be traced to the Alpine Rhine. Overexploitation of the Grisons forests in the 18th and 19th centuries caused more load to be deposited on the bed and the riverbed to gradually rise due to increased ripping and landslides. To remedy this, Switzerland and Liechtenstein signed a treaty in 1837 that laid the foundation for today's protection structures for the Rhine. The numerous floods of the 19th century brought the impoverished country to the brink of ruin. In September 1927, the Rhine flooded the valley north of Schaan for the last time.

Despite the imminent danger of destruction from landslides, settlements were built in the area of the rubble cones, as the Rhine Plain was swampy and subject to periodic flooding. Damage caused by landslides is frequently recorded, for example, in Vaduz in 1666 and 1817. Following heavy floods in the summer of 1854, the first flood defenses were built. Despite the large investments in the Rüfe structures, a risk remains, as demonstrated by a devastating event in Triesenberg and Triesen in 1995.

Foehn winds or dry winds multiplied reports of fires in villages and forests in the Oberland. Avalanches destroyed nine cottages in Malbun in 1951 and 15 holiday homes in 1999. The number of danger spots has been considerably reduced since the 1970s thanks to shoring and reforestation.

Economy

National Bank of Liechtenstein in Vaduz

The economic bases are tourism and financial services, which benefit from fiscal conditions. Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed a prosperous, highly industrialized free-market economy with a significant financial services sector and a way of life on a par with the urban areas of its larger European neighbors. Low business taxes of up to 18% and very lax trade incorporation laws have led to approximately 73,700 companies establishing nominal offices in Liechtenstein, accounting for 30% of state revenue.

Due to a tax scandal (2007) due to the evasion of capital by German citizens to Liechtenstein, it has been revealed that the country's financial system acts as a tax haven. The European Union plans to demand greater control over its banking system, up to now very opaque for allowing the operation of 75,000 foundations whose members can hide their true identity (in a country of 35,000 inhabitants, a third of them foreigners). It is estimated that not having this resource would endanger its own economic survival, since bank deposits in Liechtenstein amount to 100,000 million euros, the base of a financial sector that reaches a third of GDP.

On the other hand, there are facilities to hide information there, allowing banking secrecy to be kept to the maximum, in which, many nations have pressured the principality to make reforms in the financial system to detect and avoid tax evasion.

The country has an economic union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency, although it previously had its own currency, the Liechtenstein franc. It imports approximately 90% of the energy it consumes. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization that serves as a link between the European Free Trade Association and the European Union) since May 1995. The government is working to bring its economic policy in line with the guidelines already integrated in Europe.

Taxes

Hilti AG headquarters in Schaan, Principality of Liechtenstein

The Liechtenstein government taxes personal income, business income and capital (wealth). The basic rate of personal income tax is 1.2%. When combined with the additional income tax imposed by the communes, the combined income tax rate is 17.82%. The additional 4.3% income tax applies to all employees under the country's social security program. This rate is higher for the self-employed, up to a maximum of 11%, which makes the maximum income tax rate approximately 29% in total. The basic tax rate on wealth is 0.06% per year, and the total combined rate is 0.89%. The tax rate on corporate profits is 12.5%.

Liechtenstein's gift and inheritance tax varies depending on the recipient's relationship to the donor and the size of the inheritance. The tax ranges from 0.5% to 0.75% for spouses and children and from 18% to 27% for unrelated recipients. The wealth tax is progressive. Liechtenstein has previously received significant income from Stiftungen ('foundations'), financial entities created to hide the true owner of financial holdings from non-resident foreigners. The foundation is registered in the name of a Liechtensteinian, often a lawyer. This set of laws used to make Liechtenstein a popular tax haven for extremely wealthy individuals and companies trying to avoid or evade taxes in their home countries. In recent years, Liechtenstein has shown increased determination in prosecuting international money launderers and has worked to promote an image as a legitimate financial center.

Volksbank Liechtenstein (People ' s Bank of Liechtenstein) in Schaan

In February 2008, the country's LGT bank was implicated in a tax fraud scandal in Germany, which strained the ruling family's relationship with the German government. Crown Prince Alois accused the German government of trafficking in stolen goods, referring to a $7.3 million purchase of private banking information offered by a former LGT group employee. The US Senate subcommittee on offshore banks said LGT Bank, owned and served on the board of directors of the royal family, "is a willing partner and accomplice to clients trying to evade taxes, dodge creditors or defy court orders".

The 2008 Liechtenstein tax affair led to a series of tax investigations in numerous countries whose governments suspect that some of their citizens have evaded their tax obligations by using banks and trusts in Liechtenstein; the matter opened with the largest complex of investigations ever launched for tax evasion in Germany. It was also seen as an attempt to put pressure on Liechtenstein, then one of the remaining uncooperative tax havens—along with Andorra and Monaco—identified by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2007. On 27 In May 2009, the OECD removed Liechtenstein from the black list of non-cooperative countries.

In August 2009, the UK government department HM Revenue & Customs agreed with Liechtenstein to start exchanging information. Up to 5,000 British investors are believed to have approximately £3bn held in accounts and trusts in the country.

In October 2015, the European Union and Liechtenstein signed a tax agreement to ensure the automatic exchange of financial information in case of tax disputes. The data collection began in 2016, and is a further step in bringing the principality on par with other European countries when it comes to its taxation of individuals and corporate assets.

Tourism

Hotel Adler in Vaduz

Although travelers passed through Liechtenstein early on, the Principality's heyday of tourism began in the mid-19th century, following the connection of Liechtenstein to the European rail network in 1872 and the subsequent construction of so-called (air) spas.

In 1909 the Liechtenstein section of the German-Austrian Alpine Club was founded to support emerging hiking tourism. After the Great Depression, the Swiss replaced the Germans as the largest group of visitors.

As a result of increasing prosperity, the spread of automobile and statutory vacation entitlements, and general infrastructure improvements, there was a sharp growth in guest numbers after World War II. The change from summer to winter tourism began in the early 1960s with the construction of ski lifts and hotels in the Malbun valley.

At that time, tourism was mainly recreational, hiking and skiing, and the region also benefited from day trips and business traffic. Starting in the 1950s, the average length of stay dropped to less than two nights due to short trips and business tourism, and has stagnated ever since.

For some time, the return trips across Europe by mainly Asian travelers by bus make more frequent stops in Liechtenstein. Tourism has never been an important factor in the national economy due to its limited cultural and scenic potential; only 3% of the active population was employed in this sector in 2007. The first Liechtenstein tourism association, which however also included Vorarlberg, was founded as early as 1900 and started promoting tourism in the Principality. In 1952, Liechtenstein joined the North-East Swiss Tourism Association and in 1964 the Swiss Tourist Office (later "Switzerland Tourism"). In 1944 a first "Tourism Law" intended to promote tourism and collect taxes. In the year 2000, the promotion of tourism was transferred to the public law institution "Liechtenstein Tourism".

In 2017, there was an increase of 14.7% in arrivals and 16.3% in overnight stays compared to the previous year.

As part of the "300 Years of the Principality of Liechtenstein" anniversary, the 75-kilometre Liechtenstein-Weg hiking trail reopened in May 2019.

Demographics

Vaduz, the capital of the country.

It is a state of central Europe, located between Austria and Switzerland. The western sector corresponds to the Rhine alluvial plain, and the eastern, mountainous, of more than 2000 m of altitude, to the Rhine Alps. Culminates in Augstenberg peaks (2359 m) and Plassteikoft (2356 m).

Liechtenstein is the fourth smallest country in Europe, after Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino. Around a third of its resident population is made up of foreigners, mainly Germans, Austrians, Swiss and Italians.

The indigenous population spoke Alemannic, however the official language of the country is German.

Apart from the prince, Liechtenstein's most famous person is Hanni Wenzel, of German origin, who won two Olympic titles in 1980 in alpine skiing. Under the Liechtenstein Constitution, Catholicism is the official state religion.

Liechtenstein had a total population of 38,557 as of June 30, 2019.

In 2019, the population growth was 0.9% (increase of 356 people) The average population density is about 238 people per square kilometer.

The last child was born at the Liechtenstein National Hospital in spring 2014. Since April 2014, future mothers in Liechtenstein have to go abroad to give birth at the hospital because the country's only maternity hospital is closed.

Historical evolution

Typical house in Liechtenstein

There are no reliable figures on the population of what is now Liechtenstein in the Middle Ages. It was not until 1584 that the first estimate was made, according to which about 2,500 people lived in the county of Vaduz and in that of Schenkenberg about 1,300, that is, about 3,800 inhabitants in total.

There are no figures available for the period of the Thirty Years' War, but it can be assumed that the population - as in the rest of Central Europe - stagnated or declined. Thereafter it increased considerably until a new stagnation occurred due to a succession of epidemics and food crises between about 1730 and 1760; Likewise, during the Napoleonic Wars of Liberation, in which there was even a slight decrease in the population after the Austrian troops brought epidemics in 1796. Afterwards, the population grew again until 1840, to stagnate again. However, population growth in the early 19th century century was so high that fears arose of general impoverishment, that there was a political reaction with restrictive measures such as the limitation of marriage, the success of which, however, is unknown.

It was not until the early 20th century that slow growth resumed, interrupted by the departure of foreign workers during World War I.. After World War II, the population increased rapidly as a result of economic improvement, mainly due to the influx of foreign workers.

Chapel of Schaan Cemetery, Liechtenstein. Built in 1934 according to the plans of the German architect Erwin Hinderer.

Birth and death rate

In early modern times, the death rate was several times the birth rate during phases of stagnation. Although the birth rate rose sharply in the late 18th century century, the death rate declined over the long term from the early XIX due to hygienic and medical improvements, as well as improvements in food supply.

Epidemics, which have always recurred with some regularity throughout history, now became rarer, on the one hand, and, above all, they no longer meant the death of a patient with such a high probability. This is also seen in life expectancy, which went from 29 years in the 1830s to 39 at the turn of the XX, 62 in the early 1960s and 76 in 2003.

As industrialization progressed, the number of children per family decreased because they were no longer necessary for agricultural work, but rather an economic burden. This trend was briefly interrupted by the baby boom of the 1940s and 1950s, but in the 1960s, with the pill crisis, the birth rate dropped rapidly to its current level. Various social factors (such as the increase in single-person households, the facilitation of divorces or a marked consumerism) kept the birth rate low from then on.

Language

In Liechtenstein, according to Article 6 of the Constitution, German is the official language. Liechtenstein is the only state in which German is the only recognized official and national language; In the other States of the German-speaking area, other languages are also recognized as official or minority.

Poster in Balzers written in German that says "Principate of Liechtenstein"

The written and media language is usually the dialect known as Swiss High German. In Liechtenstein, as in Switzerland, a double s is written instead of ß.

The population of Liechtenstein speaks various Liechtenstein dialects, the vast majority of which belong to a transitional Middle High Germanic Germanic dialect, as it is also spoken across borders in the Rhine Valley, in neighboring canton of St. Gallen (Switzerland) and in the neighboring state of Vorarlberg (Austria). Local dialects sometimes differ considerably from municipality to municipality, but the Höchstalemann dialect stands apart from the others.

However, the High German-Walser dialect of Triesenberg is still clearly distinguishable today from the High German dialects of its former population. Its bearers arrived in the country around the year 1300 in the course of the migration of the Walsers from the Swiss canton of Valais. In the course of the Middle Ages, this population, as in the entire Lower Rhaetian region, had abandoned the ancient Romance rhato language in favor of Alemannic.

Liechtenstein dialect (Liachtaschtanerisch) is a collective term for the Germanic dialects spoken in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Its affiliation to the Germanic subdialects is unclear, apart from Walser's High Germanic German in the Triesenberg. However, based on their vocalism, Low and High Alemannic can be characterized as transitional dialects between Middle Alemannic and High Alemannic.

Religion

Most of the population follows Christianity, especially in its Catholic form. Catholicism enjoys legal protection:

"The Catholic Church is the Church of the State and as such must enjoy the full protection of the State" - Liechtenstein Constitution

However Liechtenstein offers protection to adherents of all religions and considers that the "religious interests of the people" They are a government priority. In Liechtenstein schools, although exceptions are allowed, religious education that promotes Catholicism or Protestantism (either Reformed or Lutheran, or both) is legally required.

Catholic Cathedral of Vaduz, Liechtenstein (Kathedrale St. Florin)

The government grants a tax exemption to religious organizations. According to the Pew Research Center, social conflict caused by religious hostilities is rare in Liechtenstein, as are government restrictions on the practice of any religion.

According to the 2010 census, 85.8% of the total population is Christian, of which 75.9% adhere to the Catholic faith, constituted in the Archdiocese of Vaduz, while 9.6% It is Protestant, organized mainly in the Evangelical Church of Liechtenstein (a united, Lutheran and Reformed Church) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liechtenstein, or else Orthodox, organized mainly in the Orthodox Church. The most important minority religion other than Christianity is Islam (5.4% of the total population).

Under the Liechtenstein Constitution, different religions are not equally valued. It is true that the Constitution guarantees freedom of worship and conscience, however, the Catholic Church, as the "national Church", is under the special protection of the State. The Archbishopric of Vaduz has existed since 1998.

So far, Catholic and Protestant religion classes are taught in public primary schools. Parents can exempt their children from taking this subject. The introduction of Islamic religion classes in primary schools is still in the project phase in 2009. Secondary school students (which allow post-university access) have the possibility of choosing between the subject "Religion and Culture" and the subject of a specific confession (Catholic or Protestant).

The Patron Saint of the Principality of Liechtenstein is Saint Lucius of Brittany.

Statistical data

Liechtenstein has a population of 34,542 as of July 2011.

• Age division (July 2011):
  • 0-14 years: 18.0 % (3128 men and 3004 women)
  • 15-64 years: 71.2 % (12 109 men and 12 112 women)
  • 65 years or older: 10.8 % (1488 men and 2181 women)
• Population growth rate (2011): 1.01 %
• 

  Liechtenstein children in a procession of the Corpus Christi (Fronleichnamsprozession)
  Birth rate (2011): 12,65 births/1000 inhabitants
• Death rate (2011): 6.75 deaths/1000 inhabitants
• Net migration rate: 4,93 migrants/1000 inhabitants
• Proportion of sex (July 2011):
  • At birth: 1.26 men/women
  • Under 15 years: 1.04 men/woman
  • 15-64 years: 1.00 man/woman
  • 65 years or older: 0.68 men/woman
  • Total population: 0.97 men/women
• Infant mortality rate: 4.92 deaths/1000 births with life
• Life expectancy at birth:
  • Men: 75,47 years
  • Women: 82.47 years
  • Total population: 79.1 years
• Fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman
• Ethnic groups (July 2011): Germanic 85.9 %, Italian, Turkish and other 14.1%
• Religion: Catholics 75.7 %, Protestants 6.9 %, islam 4.2 %, other 1.3 %, non-religious 1.0%, unknown 10.9%
• Languages: The official language is German and Germanic dialect.
  • Total population: 100%

Education

Headquarters of the Private University of Liechtenstein (UFL).

In Liechtenstein, education is compulsory for nine years. Compulsory schooling is divided into primary (five years) and secondary (at least four years), although preschool education (kindergarten) can be taken voluntarily beforehand. The curriculum is based on the Swiss-German Lehrplan 21 curriculum. The secondary level proper is divided into three different levels where students are placed according to their ability. The Oberschule and the Realschule are completed after four years, while at the Gymnasium the title can be obtained after seven years.

Two-thirds of school leavers in Liechtenstein undertake a vocational apprenticeship. Due to the common economic space, vocational training corresponds to the Swiss system. Job titles in Liechtenstein are the same as in Switzerland.

Most young people living in Liechtenstein complete their professional apprenticeships in Liechtenstein, while 13% do so in Switzerland. In contrast, 26% of apprenticeships in Liechtenstein are filled by apprentices residing in Switzerland and 1% by Austrians. Most apprentices attend the vocational school in the neighboring canton of St. Gallen. The voluntary vocational secondary school then enables them to study at a university of applied sciences.

Liechtenstein has two institutions with the name of university. The University of Liechtenstein is a state university specializing in architecture and spatial development, as well as economics. The Private University of the Principality of Liechtenstein is state and internationally recognized and offers part-time accredited doctoral programs in medical sciences and law. Another private university is the International Academy of Philosophy. The Liechtenstein Institute in Bendern is a scientific research institution with a public library. The country is also one of the sponsors of the Zurich Intercantonal College for Therapeutic Education.

Liechtenstein National Library (Liechtensteinische Landesbibliothek)

The literacy rate is 100%. In 2012, the OECD PISA Report ranked Liechtenstein's education as the eighth best in the world and the best in Europe.

It has 5 secondary education centers:

• Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium
• Realschule Vaduz
• Oberschule Vaduz
• Realschule Schaan
• Sportschule Liechtenstein (in Schaan)

And 4 higher education centers:

• University of Liechtenstein
• Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein
• Liechtenstein Institute
• International Academy of Philosophy

The National Library of Liechtenstein is located in Vaduz.

Health

Due to its small size, Liechtenstein depends on cooperation with its neighbors in the medical field. Patients from Liechtenstein are also cared for in hospitals in the Swiss quarter, especially in the Grabs Hospital, which was opened in 1907. In the early 1920s, a hospital and an obstetrics ward were established in the Bürgerheim in Vaduz, which was able to be moved to a new building in 1981. In 2000, the Vaduz Hospital changed its name to the Liechtenstein National Hospital.

Liechtenstein National Hospital (National Hospital)Liechtensteinisches Landesspital)

The history of the hospital is closely linked to the general care of the poor and sick in Liechtenstein. Thus, starting in the 1820s, various plans arose for the construction of a hospital in Liechtenstein, which, however, failed due to financial or political obstacles. Finally, by resolution of the Diet of Liechtenstein, it was decided to establish decentralized medical care in the form of residences for citizens from the second half of the century XIX. In the course of this expansion, a citizens' house was also built in Vaduz in 1892. It was founded by the provincial physicist Felix Batliner and patients were cared for in collaboration with the Sisters of Mercy of Zams. At the beginning of the 1920s, the Bürgerheim was expanded with an inpatient ward and a maternity ward. In the following years there were new extensions, including an operating room.

In 1956, the Liechtenstein Parliament voted in favor of the new construction or extension of the hospital, but it was only carried out after a referendum at municipal and provincial level in the years 1977 to 1981. In 1971, the Red Cross of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein also established a royal ambulance service, although the country already had an ambulance since 1955.

At the beginning of 2000, the hospital passed by law from the ownership of the municipality of Vaduz to the ownership of the State, which has since considered it a foundation under public law. At the same time, the name was changed from "Krankenhaus Vaduz" by that of the "Liechtensteinisches Landesspital" In the following years, various transformations or extensions were carried out again, for example, in 2004 with the construction of a new wing of beds and in 2009 with the commissioning from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The hospital is now a public law foundation.

The Liechtenstein Red Cross (LRK), founded in 1945, has provided rescue services since 1971. The health system is largely financed by health and accident insurance, as well as by the state. Since 1972 there has been compulsory health insurance for all people residing in the country. Despite revisions to the Health Insurance Act, healthcare costs are constantly rising.

Migration

Cripta of the Principality of Liechtenstein built in 1819-21 in Vranov, present Czech Republic

Until World War I, Liechtenstein was an emigration country due to the poor supply situation and poverty. From the beginning, it was common for people to serve as soldiers for foreign states, marry abroad, or join foreign monasteries.

Starting in the 18th century, seasonal work abroad also gained importance, which only ceased with the economic recovery after the Second World War. In order to limit emigration, emigration restrictions were enacted in 1805, which were fully lifted again in 1848 after earlier relaxations. As a destination, North America was probably as important as the neighboring countries of Austria and Switzerland, to which migration was especially favored by free movement agreements (Switzerland) or customs treaties (Austria).

With industrialization, migration patterns changed and foreign workers and skilled labor entered the country. While the proportion of foreigners in the population was still 16.2% at the start of industrialization in 1941, it had risen to 53.9% by 1970.

To curb this trend, Liechtenstein has applied a very restrictive immigration policy since 1945, which, however, is opposed by international trade agreements. For example, the Principality committed to a minimum annual quota of immigrants both in the EEA States and in Switzerland.

In 2018, 649 people emigrated to Liechtenstein, of whom 26.3% were Liechtensteinians, and 484 people emigrated, of whom 49.0% were Liechtensteinians.

Transportation

Balzers helicopter.

There are approximately 250 km of paved road within Liechtenstein and 9.5 km of railway. The country's railways are managed by the Austrian Federal Railways company, such as the part of the route between Feldkirch (Austria) and Buchs (Switzerland).

In Liechtenstein the bus system is a subsidiary of the Swiss system Postautobus, although it is controlled separately; connects to the Swiss bus network in Buchs and Sargans, as well as in the Austrian city of Feldkirch.

There are 90 km of marked bike paths in the country. The principality does not have an airport and the nearest international is Zurich; near Balzers there is a small heliport suitable for small helicopters.

Rail transport

There are four railway stations in Liechtenstein, namely Schaan-Vaduz, Forst Hilti, Nendeln and Schaanwald, all of which are served by a regular train service, which runs between Feldkirch and Buchs. The route that passes through Liechtenstein is a line of great importance for rail traffic; EuroCity trains cross the territory non-stop at the small Liechtenstein stations.

Schaan-Vaduz railway station

The only railway line running through Liechtenstein is the 15 kV 16.7 hertz electrified railway line Feldkirch (Austria) - Buchs (Switzerland), which is owned and operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). On the 9.5 km long line within the country, regional trains stop at the three stations of Forst-Hilti, Nendeln and Schaan-Vaduz. In addition, international trains from Vienna/Salzburg to Zurich run on this route (for example, the railjet) and do not stop on the territory of Liechtenstein.

With the FL.A.CH S-Bahn project, the regional transport offer on the Feldkirch-Buchs railway line should be expanded by the end of 2015. An important goal is to encourage travelers from Austria to Liechtenstein to switch to the train. A half-hour service is planned during peak hours. This, in turn, presupposes a two-way expansion in the Tisis-Nendeln area. During the negotiations, disagreements arose with Austria over financial issues.

In March 2015, the Government took note of the change in the initial situation regarding the financing of the FL.A.CH S-Bahn project. Due to open issues, the compromise credit for Liechtenstein's part of the project costs could not be dealt with in the Landtag as planned. In April 2020, Liechtenstein, Austria and the ÖBB reached an agreement on the controversial financing key. The population of the Principality rejected the financing of the project in a referendum held on August 30, 2020. The project was not financed.

The railway line was, as operated by ÖBB, in the foreign section of Swiss time in field 5320 until 2011.

Culture

The Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein is a modern and contemporary art museum located in Vaduz.

The close coexistence of rural traditions and the intense international exchange that characterize Liechtenstein lay the foundations for the great versatility of its cultural life. Concerts, theatre, dance and cabaret, museums, galleries and art workshops attract culture lovers and art aficionados from all over the region.

On the other hand, the country suffers historical cultural influences from the southern German-speaking areas, especially Austria, Switzerland and Bavaria, which makes its tradition alpine. The Historical Society of the Principality has the mission of conserving the historical memory and preserving the culture and traditions of the country.

The most important museum is the National Museum of Liechtenstein (Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum) dedicated to the natural and cultural history of the state, as well as some temporary exhibits.

The private collection of the princes, deservedly famous for its paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck, is concentrated in the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna.

The Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein is an architectural landmark by Swiss architects Morger, Degelo and Kerez, which was inaugurated in the year 2000. The façade, seamlessly constructed of pigmented concrete, basalt, mostly black, and colored pebbles, has been treated in such a way that a lively play of reflections occurs on its surface. It is a museum focused on modern and contemporary art, which houses the public art collection of Liechtenstein and organizes temporary exhibitions of international fame.

The great composer Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, whose work has been rediscovered in the last decades of the XX century, is the greatest exponent of classical Lichtensteinian composition.

The P.E.N. Club Liechtenstein, founded in 1978, brings together international personalities in what is probably the best-known authors' association in the world. The club awards awards and scholarships and organizes readings

Tak Theatre in Schaan, Liechtenstein

Theater and music

The main sponsors of theater and music are various associations. The most important are the Operettenbühne Balzers, the Operettenbühne Vaduz, the Liechtenstein Music Company and the Opern Verein Vaduz. The four associations usually put on a new production every two years. The Big Band Liechtenstein has existed since 1983.

Josef Rheinberger, one of the most important composers of the Romantic period, hailed from Liechtenstein. Other composers are included in the list of Liechtenstein composers.

Schaan's Theater am Kirchplatz (TaK) is the largest theater in Liechtenstein. Since October 2003 there is also the Schlösslekeller theater in Vaduz, where the "Liechtensteiner Gabarett" (LiGa) performs a new program every year.

In 2010, the International Music Academy (Internationale Musikakademie) was founded in the Principality, which is also attended by students from other nations.

Gastronomy

Typical Liechtenstein dishes include Käsknöpfle (cheese dumplings) with apple sauce and Ribel with milk, latte, sugar or sour cheese, a specialty of Liechtenstein and its surroundings. Ribel is made from Rheintaler Ribelmais, a variety of corn traditional to the area. Kratzete or Tatsch is made from dough heated in a pan and eaten with compote or apple sauce.

Customs

Of the traditions of Liechtenstein, embedded in the cultural landscape of Central Europe, many similarities can be found with its neighbors. The tradition of caroling is documented as early as 1667 and has continued from Epiphany time to the present day. The start of the Fasnacht begins on Maundy Thursday, and the masked balls take place after Epiphany. Children smear their faces ("Ruassla"), the Guggenmusik accompanies the carnival parades. The Sunday following Ash Wednesday is the Funkensonntag.

At Easter, Easter eggs are dyed and decorated and along with Easter bunnies are the most important decorations. The public holiday of August 15 is celebrated with huge fireworks, bonfires and a torchlight procession on the Fürstensteig. At the end of the Alpine summer, the herdsmen bring the flower-adorned cows to the Alpabfahrt villages. In the Oberland, the most productive are adorned with a small wooden heart on their foreheads. The beginning of the carnival is celebrated on November 11 with performances by Guggenmusik. Some clubs organize annual festivals with dances and shows. Plays are often performed in the local dialect.

Holidays and celebrations

Catholic Church of St. Nicholas (Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus)

In the Principality, the Catholic Church has a lot of influence, all the holidays are of a religious nature, with the exception of May 1, which was elevated to a state holiday in 1970 as Labor Day. The public holidays of the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Fest Mariä Himmelfahrt) are celebrated simultaneously on 15 August. Former Prince Franz Joseph II (1906-1989) had his birthday on August 16. The two holidays were first combined in 1940 and have been celebrated as a state holiday ever since. The day was maintained after the Prince's death and was officially called the State Holiday, although today the vernacular refers to it as the Prince's Feast (Fürstenfest spricht). Since 1990, the Holiday State is held on the castle lawn next to Vaduz Castle.

Important to Liechtenstein's national consciousness since the late XIX century have been patriotic commemorations and commemorative celebrations, such as the 300 years of the Principality of Liechtenstein in 2019. The inauguration of the reign, the anniversaries of the same and the round birthdays of the Prince were also cause for celebration.

Architecture

The Castle of Gutenberg (Burg Gutenberg) in Balzers, Liechtenstein

The oldest architectural monuments in Liechtenstein are the remains of Roman villas at Nendeln and Schaanwald and the Roman fort at Schaan. The Early and Late Middle Ages produced several castles, including Vaduz. Romanesque churches and Gothic buildings were replaced in the 19th century and early 20th century by new buildings of classicism and historicism. In addition to representative administrative buildings such as the Verweserhaus in Schaan or the Baroque Gamanderhof in Schaan, country houses in the Rheintal characterized the pattern of settlement until around 1850. The Maria zum Trost chapel in Dux in Schaan is fully preserved in the Baroque style. This modest architectural heritage corresponds to the economic conditions of what was a poor country without cities. The architectural style of the Rheintal is still very present.

The clarity of classicism and therefore also the economics of construction were adjusted to the narrow financial possibilities of the municipalities. The parish church of St. Gall was built in Triesen and the parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Mauren. The parish churches of Vaduz, Schaan, Eschen, Ruggell and Balzers, as well as the Vaduz government building, were built in the historicist style. from mid-19th century to early XX. Modern buildings include the Engländerbau and the Mühleholz school in Vaduz, as well as the Schellenberg parish church, all of which are listed monuments. Postmodern architecture includes the Centrum Bank and the Landtag building, both in Vaduz.

Media

The most important newspapers are the Liechtensteiner Vaterland and the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt. Each of the two dailies has been close to a political grouping since the parties' founding in 1918. Today's Liechtensteiner Vaterland is the unofficial party organ of the Vaterländische Union (VU), the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt is close to the Fortschrittliche Bürgerpartei (FBP). The two newspapers achieve high coverage nationwide.

Liechtensteinischer Landessender, Liechtenstein's first radio station. On the microphone, Friedrich Ritter station director in 1938

The low diversity of the Liechtenstein media and the press's ties to political parties mean that there is no independent reporting. The two dailies have been open on a limited basis since the 1990s, publishing readers' letters and forum contributions, largely unfiltered. Since the Media Promotion Law came into effect, in 2000, the press benefited from a state subsidy aimed at improving its quality.

There are several magazines dedicated to the culture, customs and history of Liechtenstein. The magazine EinTracht, published from 1991 to 2012, was dedicated to the preservation of local history and customs, and the Balzner Neujahrsblätter have reported annually since 1995 on the history, culture, society, nature and economy of Balzers.

The national private radio station Radio L became the most listened to in Liechtenstein, but was barely able to establish itself in neighboring countries. To succeed Radio L, which had financial problems, the state-funded Liechtenstein Broadcasting Corporation was founded, which since 2004 has managed Radio Liechtenstein under public law.

Due to the small number of television stations in Liechtenstein, consumption is concentrated on foreign programmes. The small private Liechtenstein broadcaster 1 FL TV has been broadcasting news about Liechtenstein and the neighboring regions since 2008. In addition, the national channel and, in most municipalities, the individual municipal channels with continuous text serve to inform the population. The national channel is managed by the Department of Information and Communication of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Finance.

Telecommunications and postal services

Although the Principality has a postal network with Switzerland, it has an independent postal service (Liechtensteinische Post AG), issues its own stamps and has its own telephone code (+423).

The post office building in Liechtenstein (Liechtensteinischen Post AG)

From 1852 to 1921, Liechtenstein's telecommunications were managed by Austria under the 'Customs and Fiscal Union', until the Principality took over for itself. Liechtenstein's public telephone network was put into operation on November 15, 1898, and at that time consisted of two connections for the government and 14 publicly operated call stations, which allowed telegrams and phonograms to be sent.

The first postal treaty between Austria and Liechtenstein entered into force (only) on October 4, 1911, which together with the customs treaty was terminated again in 1919 and 1920 respectively in the course of the reorientation of the foreign policy of Austria to Switzerland.

On October 20, 1951, Liechtenstein became the first country in the world to put into operation a fully automatic telephone network. In 1978 mobile communications came into operation and in 1992 the Internet.

In 1963, the Principality joined the International Telecommunications Union and the Conference of European Postal and Telecommunications Administrations. In 1973 Liechtenstein joined Intelsat and in 1987 Eutelsat.

In 1998, the country had the basic fixed network and a telecommunications network built through the award of concessions to (partly) privatized companies and the founding of LTN Liechtenstein Telenet AG. In the year 2000, mobile telephony concessions were granted to international companies.

In 2016, Liechtenstein had about 16,600 fixed telephone lines, about 43,900 mobile phones and about 37,200 Internet users.

Sports

Due to its geographical location, the most important sport is winter skiing. As for football, Liechtenstein teams participate in the Swiss league.

Football

Liechtenstein's football clubs participate in Swiss Football Association matches. The national cup is managed by the people of Liechtenstein under their own auspices, so that a team from this country can participate every year in the qualifying phase of the Europa League. This honor is usually given to cup series winner FC Vaduz, who played in Switzerland's top league, the Super League, from 2014 to 2017.

The Rheinpark stadium during an UEFA Nations League match against Austria in June 2022.

The greatest success of Liechtenstein club football to date came in 2022, when Vaduz reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League for the first time in its history after defeating Koper in the qualifiers Slovenian (1-0, 1-1), Turkish Konyaspor (1-1, 4-2) and Austrian Rapid Vienna (1-1, 1-0). It is the team that comes from the smallest city to reach this stage in the entire history of UEFA's European competitions.

The Liechtenstein national soccer team participates in the World Cup and European Championship qualifying matches. His greatest success was a 4-0 victory against Luxembourg in the 2006 World Cup qualifying phase; just four days earlier, Liechtenstein had achieved a 2-2 draw against runners-up Portugal. In addition, Liechtenstein's footballers celebrated a home win against Iceland (3-0) on October 17, 2007 and a home win against Lithuania (2-0) on June 3, 2011, as part of the Liechtenstein campaign. qualification for the Eurocup in Poland/Ukraine.

The best-known player of the national team is Mario Frick (FC Basel, Ternana Calcio, AC Siena, FC Balzers, among others), who was the first Liechtenstein player to debut in the Italian Serie A (August 26, 2001), scoring seven goals for Hellas Verona that season.

FC Vaduz and the national team play their home games at the Rheinpark Stadium in Vaduz, the Principality's national stadium, opened in 1998.

Winter Sports

Snow in the Malbun valley

Winter sports are practiced in the mountainous region surrounding Malbun at certain times of the year. Liechtenstein has had some success in alpine skiing. The highlight, apart from several World Cup victories, was when Liechtenstein's Hanni Wenzel won two gold and one silver medal at the Lake Placid Olympics in the winter of 1980.

In addition, she and her brother Andreas Wenzel each won the World Cup overall in 1980, the only siblings to do so in Alpine Ski World Cup history. In addition, there is a bronze medal from the Innsbruck Winter Olympics. Andreas Wenzel won an Olympic silver medal in Lake Placid in 1980 and a bronze in Sarajevo in 1984.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Marco Büchel achieved several successes. Currently, Tina Weirather (daughter of Hanni Wenzel and Harti Weirather) is the best known and most successful skier in the country. Liechtenstein is the most successful nation in the unofficial statistic 'Olympic medals per capita'. Cross-country skiers who succeeded were Markus Hasler and Stephan Kunz.

Festivities