50 Fun Facts About Liechtenstein

What is the capital of Liechtenstein?

The town of about 5,700 people is home to parliament and the castle where the prince lives; Schaan is the largest municipality.

Liechtenstein lies between which two countries?

It is the world's smallest country to border two others.

Liechtenstein and which other country are the world's only two doubly landlocked states?

Doubly landlocked means every neighbour is itself landlocked.

Which river forms Liechtenstein's entire western border?

It runs about 27 km along the country and supplies its water; the first bridges across it to Switzerland were built in 1886.

What is Liechtenstein's highest point, at 2,599 m?

It sits in the Rätikon range on the Swiss border; the lowest point is the Ruggeller Riet at 430 m.

Liechtenstein covers just over 160 km2, making it what in Europe?

Only Vatican City, San Marino and Monaco are smaller; worldwide it ranks sixth-smallest.

Into how many municipalities is Liechtenstein divided?

Five lie in the Unterland and six, including Vaduz and Schaan, in the Oberland.

The Principality of Liechtenstein was created in 1719 by decree of which Holy Roman Emperor?

He united the lordship of Schellenberg and the county of Vaduz, bought by the family in 1699 and 1712.

Why did the Liechtenstein family buy the tiny territories of Schellenberg and Vaduz?

The family's vast lands in Moravia and Austria were all held through intermediate lords, so carried little imperial standing.

The Liechtenstein family takes its name from a castle south of which city?

They held Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria from at least 1140 and acquired estates in Moravia, Silesia and Styria.

Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 upon the dissolution of what?

It had joined that confederation in 1815 after being a vassal of Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine from 1806.

How many soldiers did Liechtenstein send to the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, its last military campaign?

They saw no fighting and famously came home 81 strong, having picked up an Italian liaison officer; the army was abolished in 1868.

Liechtenstein's army was disbanded on 12 February of which year?

Andreas Kieber, the last soldier to serve under its colours, died in 1939 aged 94.

In which year did Liechtenstein sign its customs and monetary treaty with Switzerland?

Economic ruin after World War I forced the switch away from Austria; the Swiss franc has been the currency since.

What is the currency of Liechtenstein?

The country is also in a customs union with Switzerland and one of the few nations with no public debt.

Who became Prince of Liechtenstein in 1989?

He handed day-to-day duties to his son, Hereditary Prince Alois, as regent in 2004.

A 2003 referendum gave Liechtenstein's prince which powers, making it Europe's 'only absolute monarchy'?

Voters reaffirmed the powers in 2012, when 76% rejected limiting the princely veto.

How many members sit in Liechtenstein's parliament, the Landtag?

Fifteen come from the Oberland and ten from the Unterland, elected for up to four years.

In which year did Liechtenstein become the last country in Europe to grant women the vote?

Men-only referendums had rejected it in 1968, 1971 and 1973; the 1984 vote passed with just 51%.

Liechtenstein added a crown to its flag in 1937 after finding at the 1936 Olympics it matched which country's?

The blue-and-red bicolour had been in use since 1852; the crown also marks the country's status as a principality.

Liechtenstein's national anthem, "Oben am jungen Rhein", shares its melody with which other anthem?

It is the last national anthem still using the tune since Switzerland dropped its version in 1961.

What is the official language of Liechtenstein?

Most people speak an Alemannic dialect, and Triesenberg preserves the Walser German of settlers who arrived around 1300.

Which mountain village keeps a distinctive Walser dialect, brought by settlers from Valais around 1300?

Before about 1100 the predominant language of the region was Romansh.

What is Liechtenstein's most recognisable company and largest employer, based in Schaan?

Founded in 1941 by brothers Martin and Eugen Hilti, it makes anchoring systems and high-end power tools.

Which princely-owned Liechtenstein bank was at the centre of a 2008 German tax-fraud scandal?

Germany had paid a former employee for stolen client data, prompting Crown Prince Alois to accuse Berlin of trafficking in stolen goods.

What were the Liechtenstein entities used to hide ownership of foreigners' assets called?

The "foundations" made the country a favourite tax haven until reforms after 2008; the OECD had listed it alongside Andorra and Monaco in 2007.

By the 2018 Winter Games, Liechtenstein had won ten Olympic medals, all in which sport?

That gave it more medals per capita than any nation, and through 2018 it was the only country with Winter but no Summer medals.

Which skier won Liechtenstein's first two Olympic gold medals, at Lake Placid in 1980?

She took the slalom and giant slalom and silver in the downhill; her daughter Tina Weirather won Super-G bronze in 2018.

What is Liechtenstein's only ski area?

As an Alpine country, winter sport is its main sporting arena.

In which competition did FC Vaduz, Liechtenstein's most successful club, play in 2024–25?

FC Vaduz, the most successful cup winner, played in the Swiss Challenge League and represents the country in Europe.

Liechtenstein's national football team beat which country 4–0 away in a 2006 World Cup qualifier?

It also beat Iceland 3–0 in 2007; a Charlie Connelly book chronicled its failed 2002 qualifying campaign.

In March 2007 a 170-man infantry unit from which country got lost and accidentally invaded Liechtenstein?

The soldiers crossed 1.5 km before turning back; a 1985 Swiss shelling of a Liechtenstein forest was settled "over a case of white wine".

Liechtenstein was admitted to the United Nations in which year?

It joined the Council of Europe in 1978, EFTA in 1991 and the European Economic Area in 1995.

Liechtenstein participates in the EEA and Schengen but is not a member of what?

It has been in the EEA since May 1995 and joined Schengen with Switzerland in 2008.

Which country's post-1945 seizure of the Liechtenstein princely estates blocked diplomatic relations until 2009?

Over 1,600 km2 of land and several castles were seized under the Beneš decrees, including the Lednice–Valtice landscape.

Who became Prince of Liechtenstein in 1938 after being named regent as the Nazis annexed Austria?

His great-uncle Franz I had married Elisabeth von Gutmann, whom local Nazis targeted as their Jewish "problem".

The Roman province that included the land of modern Liechtenstein was called what?

Tiberius and Drusus conquered the Alpine area by 15 BC, and the Alemanni destroyed nearby Brigantium around AD 260.

Roughly what share of Liechtenstein's population is foreign-born?

Most are German speakers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, plus Italians and Turks.

How many hospitals does Liechtenstein have?

The Liechtensteinisches Landesspital is in Vaduz; prisoners with sentences over two years are sent to Austria.

On Liechtenstein's national day, what happens at the prince's castle?

The gathering above Vaduz features speeches and a large share of the population.

Which Swiss architects' modern building, completed in 2000, houses the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein?

The state museum of modern art gained a Hilti Art Foundation building in 2015.

Who is presumed to have built Vaduz Castle, whose 12th-century keep is its oldest part?

The castle overlooks the capital and has been the prince's official residence.

Until about 1100, the predominant language in the area of Liechtenstein was what?

German gained ground afterwards, and the Walsers added their dialect from around 1300.

The 1719 principality was named in honour of which 'true servant' of Emperor Charles VI?

The emperor united Vaduz and Schellenberg into an imperial principality on 23 January 1719.

From 1806 to 1813 the Prince of Liechtenstein was a member of which Napoleonic body?

Liechtenstein joined the German Confederation in 1815 and became fully independent when it dissolved in 1866.

Unrest after World War I led to which event in November 1918, prompting Liechtenstein's 1921 constitution?

The new constitution established a constitutional monarchy.

In 2004, Hans-Adam II handed day-to-day government duties to which regent?

His own father had done the same for him in 1984 to prepare him for the role.

Liechtenstein's Landtag has 25 seats. How many are elected from the Oberland region?

The other 10 seats come from the Unterland, the lower county of five municipalities.

In which year did Liechtenstein join the European Free Trade Association as a full member?

It has been a member of the European Economic Area and the WTO since 1995.

In autumn 2004, Liechtenstein's footballers held which recent European Championship finalist to a 2-2 draw?

Portugal had lost the Euro 2004 final on home soil just months earlier.