Visiting Liechtenstein was a dream come true. It has some of the friendliest – and most generous – people that I have had the privilege to meet. Sure, speaking German is helpful, but the people of this small Alpine land demonstrated extraordinary hospitality towards my son and me.
Idyllically positioned between Switzerland and Austria, the Principality of Liechtenstein is also one the most beautiful places that I have ever visited.
It is one of Europe’s smallest states covering an area of 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) and has a population of 40,000 citizens. The country, which is governed by the enlightened Prince Hans Adam II, is one of the wealthiest per capita in the world.
From my many conversations, including at the National Museum, it became obvious how popular the Princely Family is with its people
Nearly two-decades ago, I had the pleasure and privilege of co-organizing a dinner – on behalf of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) – in Washington, D.C. with Ambassador Claudia Fritsche of Liechtenstein. She was the Principality’s first ambassador to the United States and had previously served as Prince Hans Adam II’s private secretary. Ever since that enchanting evening, I had wanted to visit Liechtenstein. But the Principality is not an easy country to reach; it does not have an airport but is accessible by bus and car from Switzerland and Austria.
In July, while on a family vacation in Switzerland, I finally had the opportunity to visit this magical land: My son and I had set our eyes on Vaduz, the capital. To get there, we took the train from Zurich to Sargans – where we changed trains for Buchs – before crossing the Rhine into Liechtenstein.
On the train, we came in conversation with a wonderful woman – who is originally from Austria – but has been living in Liechtenstein for over 40-years. She not only invited us into her home, which is in Schaan, the first village after crossing into the Principality, but insisted that my eight-year-old must use her pool; she also served him ice-cream and offered me wine. We chatted for hours about Liechtenstein, its history, form of government and the role of the Catholic Church.
To my surprise, Swiss-German is not spoken in Liechtenstein but it has its own unique dialect, which is closer to Austrian-German.
Prince Hans-Adam II and Hereditary Prince Alois, for example, speak Austrian-German. They are also staunchly Catholic – oppose abortion which is illegal – but it is the hottest topic currently debated in Liechtenstein.
From Schaan, we took the bus to Mühleholz but couldn’t immediately determine how to get to the Schaan-Vaduz Youth Hostel where we were staying. Upon inquiring about its location, a local lady drove us there. We ended up meeting her again later in the afternoon at the Freibad Mühleholz Vaduz, which is a beautiful swimming facility with a stunning view of the Rätikon mountain range. The lady told us that once she had visited Las Vegas, an immigration officer had initially questioned her about whether Liechtenstein really existed.
Later in the day, on the bus from Mühleholz to Vaduz, I spoke with the driver who taught me ‘Hoi,’ the local greeting for hello. We also chatted about the Liechtenstein dialect and daily life. It really amazed me how friendly everyone was.
Vaduz is a small village but given that I was traveling with an eight-year-old, it was decided that we would only visit one museum that day: The Liechtenstein Art Museum, which to my delight – had an exhibition of Eleanor Antin – that my son liked. From there, we had lunch – which became a challenge for a picky eater – as there are not many restaurants in the village center.
Afterwards, we returned to Freibad Mühleholz Vaduz where we stayed until the end of the day.
The next morning, I had a glorious run to myself. I even greeted a fellow runner with, ‘Hoi,’ feeling particularly proud of myself.
Next, we returned to Vaduz where we embarked on an ambitious agenda: first we would visit the toy store that we had skipped the day before, then go to the National Museum to learn more about the history and culture of Liechtenstein. At the museum, to my great astonishment, a curator told us about the Principality’s wartime history and how she had grown up with Jewish refugees who had been granted sanctuary by Prince Franz Joseph II (1906-1989). My discovery prompted me to do immediate research, which led me to Anita Winter, the president and founder of the Jewish Community Association of the Principality of Liechtenstein whom I interviewed about the country’s fascinating Jewish history.
Following World War II, it was Prince Franz Joseph II who turned Liechtenstein into one of the world’s wealthiest countries by expanding the country’s banking-system while investing in manufacturing and industry.
From my many conversations, including at the National Museum, it became obvious how popular the Princely Family is with his people.
With an impressive 600-year-old history, the Princely House of Liechtenstein – which presently has 122 family members – is one of Europe’s oldest dynasties. The family has also given its name to the Principality of Liechtenstein, which has been sovereign for 300 years.
At the museum shop, I got my son a well-deserved gift: the Liechtenstein national football jersey, along with a flag of the country.
From there, we had to visit the Vaduz Castle – where the princely family of Liechtenstein has lived on a full-time basis since 1938 – but discovered that we could avoid the steepest climbs by taking the bus halfway. Walking along the spectacular Fürst-Franz-Josef-Strasse, which leads to the castle, we saw so many beautiful villas, some modern and others historic. The castle is not open to the public, but the panoramic view from there is simply breathtaking.
Before returning to Switzerland, I had promised my son another visit to Freibad Mühleholz Vaduz.
Upon leaving the Principality, my son said: “Abba, not many people believe that this country really exists.” He was, of course, spot on but I cannot wait to return to the magical Liechtenstein – and neither can he.
