5 , 14:45
Switzerland is often associated with peace and tranquility. But this historical fact is known: since the mid-twentieth century, Swiss troops invaded the Principality of Liechtenstein three times. The last incident happened exactly ten years ago.
Beautiful, mountainous, rich Switzerland has remained neutral for more than two hundred years. She avoids joining various military organizations, but at the same time maintains a well-trained army, in addition, the country also has compulsory military service.
In the Alps, between Switzerland and Austria, there is one of the richest states in Europe - the Principality of Liechtenstein, associated with Switzerland. But while in Switzerland the military budget is about 4.5 billion euros, and there are about 22 thousand military personnel in active service, then Liechtenstein has not had its own army since 1868.
Both for geographical location and for historical reasons, Liechtenstein does not have clearly defined state borders, and it is not surprising that many Swiss consider this monarchy to be one of the regions of their country. We can say that legally Switzerland is the guarantor of the security of its small neighbor. The War History Online portal draws attention to three situations over the past 30 years when the Swiss military, albeit very conditionally, invaded Liechtenstein.
A rocket fired into a dense forest in Liechtenstein
The first attack in modern history was recorded on December 5, 1985. The Swiss Army decided to test and improve the launch of surface-to-air missiles during an exercise in strong winds. The mock enemy was behind densely growing trees in the Banveld Forest, located in Liechtenstein. The rocket explosions ignited the trees, and the wind helped the fire spread and a large forest fire began.
The incident, in which it was only by luck that no one was killed, created diplomatic tension in both countries. Switzerland was forced to pay Liechtenstein millions of francs in compensation for damage to natural resources. And during the investigation, it turned out that it was not the Swiss soldiers who were to blame for the not very accurate shooting, but an unsuccessful missile launcher, reports War History Online.
The cadets received orders to establish a reconnaissance post in the town
The second technical attack was recorded on October 13, 1992. During a military exercise, Swiss Army cadets were tasked with setting up a reconnaissance post in Triesenberg, a small village of 2,500 people located in a beautiful valley with wonderful views of the surrounding area.
The creation of a reconnaissance post in such a place might seem logical if Triesenberg... was not located on the territory of a neighboring state. However, both those who gave the instructions and, probably, the cadets themselves forgot about this. They realized their mistake only when the village residents began asking them what foreign soldiers were doing on their land.
The Liechtenstein government learned about the incident after receiving an official letter of apology from their Swiss colleagues. Since the officials and legal structures of the principality did not even notice the invasion, what happened in Vaduz was taken calmly.
But the army prestige of the Swiss received a serious blow. The incident has reignited the long-dormant debate about the need for armed forces in a country that has remained neutral for decades.
170 soldiers got lost on a foggy March night
The last invasion of Liechtenstein took place on a very foggy and damp night on March 1, 2007. This time, 170 Swiss infantrymen, who had neither compasses nor GPS devices in their equipment, crossed the border without realizing it.
Soldiers from Switzerland entered Liechtenstein territory about a kilometer from the border. They realized their mistake in the morning, after which they returned back. During the entire forced march, the infantry did not meet a single local resident. Like the previous time, the Liechtenstein authorities learned about the invasion of neighbors after the fact, from a letter of apology.
The publication War History Online notes that the local media decided not to pay attention to this case at all, and the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Liechtenstein, Markus Ammann, reassured the journalists with the phrase: “there is no such thing as people breaking into us by helicopters.”
Moravia is the birthplace of the family of princes of Liechtenstein.
//A small digression - all proper names of all named persons are given in translations from German, Czech, Latin, Hungarian and English. Therefore, discrepancies are possible, because different translations give different names. This mainly happens in translations of individual letters. Russian sources also use dissonance in names. Therefore, I ask for forgiveness for the inaccuracy in the spelling of some titles or names, because I am not a linguist, but a simple history buff. With uv. to the readers author.//
At one time, Liechtenstein already became famous for challenging the “world community”. This small country was the only one that refused to hand over Eastern European anti-communists to the Bolsheviks for execution in 1945. “I don’t see my prince’s signature here,” the head of government replied when the Soviet representative showed him a copy of the Yalta Agreement. Then this small state became a saving anchor for many people who were able to avoid death at the hands of the Bolshevik executioners. Who knows, perhaps today Liechtenstein will become a saving anchor for the whole of Europe.
The Principality of Liechtenstein was named not by its territory, but by the surname of the princely family. A study of the history of the princely family shows that the creation and preservation of the independence of a small principality is not a curiosity, but the result of the outstanding diplomatic and courtier abilities of representatives of this family.
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a state in Western Europe associated with Switzerland. The name of the country comes from the ruling dynasty of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein has an area of 160 square kilometers and a population of less than 35,000 inhabitants. This area contains forests, mountains, valleys, the capital Vaduz with 5,000 inhabitants and a lot of industrial enterprises. Liechtenstein borders Austria in the east and Switzerland in the west, its territory is completely surrounded by the territories of these states.
If in Switzerland it is clean and tidy, then Liechtenstein seems to be washed and licked.
Vaduz Castle (12th century) is a castle in Liechtenstein, the official residence of the prince, named after the city of Vaduz, on the hill above which it is located.
(The castle was built in the 12th century by the Counts of Werdenberg-Sargans. It was first mentioned in written sources in 1322. The tower dates from the 12th century. During the Swabian War in 1499, it was almost burned to the ground by the Swiss, but then gradually restored. Built in the 16th century both side round towers. In 1613 - 1640, through the efforts of Caspar von Hohenham, the fortress was significantly expanded. Since 1712, the castle belongs to the princes of Liechtenstein. Initially, only managers lived in it, and the buildings gradually deteriorated. Prison. Gradual decline. Barracks of the Liechtenstein Army. Until 1896 - a tavern. Large-scale renovation during the reign of Prince Johann II in 1905-1912. The Castle has 130 rooms. Since 1938, the permanent residence of the ruling Princes (closed to visitors). Access to it for ordinary people is prohibited.
Rows of masonry from the old building can be seen in the castle courtyard, which can only be reached with a special excursion. Such excursions are rare, but they do exist, and are usually conducted by local historians for organized groups (student clubs, historical societies, etc.) coming to Vaduz. You can walk along the outer walls, explore the courtyard, and they can open the Chapel for you. The most interesting thing is the Prince’s art gallery; it’s the hardest place to get to. This is one of the finest private collections of paintings in the world. In Vaduz you can buy a huge album of this collection (138 francs). Several times a year, official receptions are held at the Castle (the best graduates sign the Golden Book, in December - the annual reception of the diplomatic corps, etc.).
Before the annexation of Austria to Germany in 1938, the princes lived mainly in their vast possessions in Austria and Czechoslovakia, whose area was many times larger than the territory of the current principality. The issue of nationalized foreign property of the princely family, especially in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, has not yet been resolved. In 1977 and 1978, 2 series of postage stamps (4 and 2) were issued in the Principality with foreign castles of the princely family. The puppet governments created by Stalin quickly confiscated not only castles, but also coal mines in Austria and Czechoslovak steel mills, and vast tracts of land in Czechoslovakia. Before the war, the Prince of Liechtenstein was one of the 10 richest people in the world. Before the war, the main industry in Liechtenstein was the manufacture of dentures. For every resident of Germany, about one artificial tooth was produced in Liechtenstein per year. The dental industry is still one of the leading sectors of the economy.
In the first post-war years, an American journalist visited the castle. Then it resembled a communal apartment for the European nobility. The princely family is related to almost all the most noble aristocratic houses in Europe (Levenstein, Dietrichstein, Fürstenberg, Schoenberg, Esterhazy and Kinsky, not to mention the Habsburgs). Since 1938, the entire huge family was forced to huddle in the castle: the prince with his wife and three children, his father-in-law, his parents, his brother. There should have been free apartments for the prince's four other brothers and his two sisters. By the end of the war, the number of aristocratic relatives who found shelter with the prince reached 150 people, or more than one percent of the then population of Liechtenstein. All of them fled from Eastern Europe from the “people's democracy” in Stalin's execution... Together with the 1st Russian National Army, on the night of May 2-3, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, Archduke Albrecht and some members of the Russian Committee with their families at the head also arrived in Liechtenstein with Sergei Lvovich Voitsekhovsky. All civilians were taken back to no man's land on the border with the Reich. Maybe this was not entirely good, but subsequent events showed that they were not really in danger in the French zone of occupation: the French often behaved unsympathetically, but did not forcibly extradite people in Vorarlberg, the Austrian land bordering Liechtenstein.
The form of government is a constitutional monarchy.
Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy. The current constitution came into force on October 5, 1921. The head of state is Hans-Adam II, Prince von und zu Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg. In fact, he ruled the country since 1984, and ascended the throne on November 13, 1989. The prince administers the state, endorses legislative acts adopted by the Landtag (parliament), represents Liechtenstein in relations with other states, appoints civil servants, and has the right to pardon. As a result of the 2003 constitutional referendum, the prince received very broad powers, including the right to veto any bills and referendum decisions, dissolve the government, appoint and remove members of the government, single-handedly pass particularly important laws and appoint judges. Thus, the prince's power became close to absolute. An attempt to limit the powers of the prince and abolish his veto power over referendum decisions was not supported in the 2012 constitutional referendum. The legislative body is the Landtag, which consists of 25 deputies elected by direct secret ballot using a system of proportional representation (15 deputies from Oberland and 10 deputies from Unterland) for a period of 4 years.
While not a member of the European Union, it is a member of the European Economic Area and a party to the Schengen Agreement.
Houses of Parliament.
Liechtenstein has a unique geographical location in the heart of Europe, in the cozy Rhine Valley. The climate is mild - up to 30 degrees in summer, up to minus 15 degrees Celsius in winter. The Principality is located in the spurs of the Alps, the highest point is Mount Grauspitz (2599 m). One of the largest rivers in Western Europe, the Rhine, flows through the western part of the country. The climate is temperate, precipitation 700-1200 mm per year. About a quarter of the territory is covered with forests (spruce, beech, oak), and in the mountains there are subalpine and alpine meadows.
Liechtenstein is a prosperous industrial country with a developed financial services sector and the highest standard of living in Europe.
Liechtenstein's GDP in 2007 was $4.16 billion. GDP per capita was $134 thousand (2nd place in the world). As of February 2012, its GDP per capita was $141,000, which puts it in second place after Qatar.
The richest European monarch rules a country of only 36.5 thousand people. The ruling family has been amassing wealth since the Roman Empire. Today, 69-year-old Prince Hans-Adam II and his family have several 17th-century palaces in Vienna, 20,000 hectares of land in Austria, and they generate a good income. Plus, the prince has his own winery with vineyards in Austria and Liechtenstein, as well as the American company Rice Tec, which produces rice. In addition, Hans-Adam continues a family tradition established more than four centuries ago and collects paintings. His collection includes 33 paintings by Rubens - more than anyone else in the world. Hans-Adam and his family also founded and run a large financial company, LGT Banking Group, and it brings them more than $40 million a year. Banking, agriculture and light industry, managed by the prince and his family, made Hans-Adam the richest European monarch with an accumulated fortune estimated at 5 billion dollars, and its subjects the richest nation in the world.
Today Liechtenstein is the richest country in the world. So this is not a mistake and certainly not a lie. According to the CIA's World Fact Book, Liechtenstein is the richest country in the world by nominal gross domestic product per capita. It amounts to more than 140 thousand dollars a year (for comparison, in Ukraine it is approximately 7).
The basis of prosperity is the unique combination of the political and economic capabilities of the princely house with the pragmatic and conservative policy of the state. Liechtenstein is a super-powerful financial center because it has almost “greenhouse” conditions for storing money or doing business. Extremely low taxes, extremely simple registration conditions, extremely reliable banking secrecy: this is the formula for success. All this would have been impossible without reliable guarantees from the princely authorities. The result is more than 73 thousand transnational super-powerful companies registered in the country.
General view of Vaduz and the Rhine Valley.
Liechtenstein is a tax haven. Taxes do not exceed 20%. It is therefore advantageous to register businesses in Liechtenstein that actually operate outside the country. Here such enterprises are called “mailboxes”. “Mailboxes” provide up to 30% of the country’s income. Tourism and the trade in postage stamps are also important industries.
And another important thing: Liechtenstein is not only a tax haven, but also a banking paradise. In any case, this was the case until very recently. After a complex story with bank computer clerk Henry Cyber, who stole depositors' data and sold disks with data to foreign intelligence services, Liechtenstein is under enormous pressure from other countries to change its banking policies and make banking secrecy the same as everywhere else - i.e., so that it is not it was completely... The state made some concessions, but only to a small extent. If you do it like everywhere else, then investors can simply take their money... This Cyber is now the No. 1 criminal here. Liechtenstein is looking for him all over the world.
The prince actively uses his finances around the world and invests a significant part of his income in Liechtenstein. A good rule is that for many years all the roads in the principality have been repaired at the expense of the prince’s personal funds. The princely dynasty refused to finance the family from the budget. On the contrary, they finance the country from family funds.
Reconstruction after the Second World War. Rapid structural changes from agriculture to industrialization: metalworking, machinery and equipment (fastening technology, vacuum technology, air conditioning systems, cold forming and powder metallurgy metal products, trailer assembly, etc.), ceramics, chemistry and pharmacy (materials for synthetic and ceramic teeth, dentures, varnishes, paints, synthetic coatings, ceramics), food industry (canned food, frozen foods, ready-to-eat foods, meat products, animal products), etc. Handicrafts and maintenance, banks , Agriculture.
Border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Do not think that Liechtenstein lives only through financial transactions. Its industry is extremely developed. It is high-tech in nature and relies on modern scientific achievements. Its products are mainly electronics, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, high-precision instruments, metalworking, machinery and equipment (fastening technology, vacuum technology, air conditioning systems, metal products using cold stamping technology and powder metallurgy, assembly of trailer vehicles, etc.), ceramics, chemistry and pharmacy (materials for synthetic and ceramic teeth, dentures, varnishes, paints, synthetic coatings, ceramics), food industry (canned food, deep-frozen foods, ready-to-eat foods, meat products, animal products), etc. Manual crafts and services, banks, agriculture. Agriculture can be characterized by the fact that Liechtenstein wines are among the most expensive in the world.
There is virtually no unemployment. Approximately a third of the workforce comes to the principality from neighboring Austria and Switzerland every day.
Liechtenstein is a unique example of how Europe should have developed if its natural development had not been stopped by the “French” revolution and its later heirs.
The capital of Liechtenstein is the city of Vaduz, located directly below the castle of the same name. The population is about 5 thousand people.
The success of the Alpine principality is based on the combination of the real political power of the monarch with economic power, as was the case during traditional society. Political stability, in turn, rests on the mutual trust of the monarch and his subjects, which in turn rests on the real ability of the monarch to perform a paternalistic role in relation to his subjects. This is a closed system in which all parties are interested. We must also add the close connection of the ruling dynasty with the Catholic Church, which is one of the most important social institutions in the principality.
The industry is almost entirely export-oriented. A significant place is occupied by the food and flavoring industries (in particular, the production of canned food and wine), textiles, ceramics and pharmaceutical industries. A significant source of income for the population and the treasury is foreign tourism, as well as the issue of postage stamps.
In the principality there is no concept of cordons, there are no train stations or airports, but to get to the country you can use the transit railway, it runs from Vienna to Zurich. In such a small country there is almost no crime, only a few police officers work here, and they are mainly involved in collecting fines for illegal parking, and in some cases, in “kitchen” conflicts, so this is one of the safest states.
Own license plates. Well, and at the same time embassies in Switzerland, the USA, Belgium and Austria. In all other countries, Liechtenstein is associated with its western neighbor - it is the Swiss embassies that defend Liechtenstein's diplomatic and consular interests around the world. The currency of Liechtenstein is the Swiss franc.
Castle - Gutenberg. The fortification was built in the 12th century. The castle was restored in its modern form in 1912. Since 1979, it belongs to the princely ruling dynasty, and is therefore closed to visitors.
Liechtenstein, although it has a constitution, is an almost absolute monarchy. According to the results of a referendum held in March 2003, the prince received the right to form and dismiss a government, veto laws adopted Landtag(parliament), change court decisions. Parliament consists of 25 deputies elected for a term of 4 years. The monarch convenes parliament by decree and, in case of emergency, can dissolve it. The prince also signs international agreements or delegates this right to another person, although some agreements still need to be ratified by parliament. Such broad powers of the prince indicate the very high popularity of the ruling dynasty among Liechtensteiners.
From 1815 to 1866, Liechtenstein was part of the German Confederation, and in 1860 the Liechtensteins became hereditary members of the upper house of the Austrian parliament, and in 1866, under Johann II of Liechtenstein (1840-1929), the principality gained independence. In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Liechtenstein acted as an ally of Austria, and from 1876 to 1918 had close ties with Austria-Hungary.
Until 1938, the princes of Liechtenstein lived in Vienna and the Moravian estates. Franz Joseph II became the first reigning prince to move permanently to Vaduz after Austria was annexed by Germany. After World War II, the governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland nationalized the Liechtenstein estates located in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, which led to a diplomatic conflict between these countries and proceedings in the International Court of Justice, which continues to this day. However, the princes of Liechtenstein quickly improved their financial situation by selling part of the famous collection of paintings to the US government. And the peculiar financial policy of the principality, in particular, extremely low taxes, in the second half of the 20th century made Liechtenstein one of the international financial centers
Vineyards and the Red House on the outskirts of Vaduz.
Agriculture specializes mainly in pasture farming for meat and dairy production (75% of agricultural products). They grow grain crops, potatoes and vegetables. Winemaking is traditionally developed. The foothills and lower slopes of the mountains are occupied by orchards and vineyards. High-quality wines are produced from local grape varieties.
The country has an efficient banking system (total balance sheet amount of about 32.5 billion Swiss francs). Along with Monaco and Andorra, the Principality of Liechtenstein is included in the list of “tax havens” - states where residents of other countries avoid taxation.
Liechtenstein does not have its own army. But there is a police force - as many as 120 people.
The population as of December 31, 2012 was 36,838 people.
Average life expectancy: men - 76.6 years, women - 83.5 years (2009).
Most of the inhabitants are Liechtensteiners (Alemannics), 65.6% according to the 2000 census, the rest are Italians, Swiss and Austrians.
The official language is German, in everyday life the Alemannic dialect of German is used.
But there are also Welshmen. They are an ancient Germanic people living in the mountain villages of Switzerland (canton of Valais - hence the name), Austria and Liechtenstein. There are about 2,000 of them in Liechtenstein. Their dialect, Wallis, is one of the most difficult to understand by ear. The municipality of the Wallisians in Liechtenstein is the village of Triesenberg. The architecture of the houses in Triesenberg is very beautiful - somewhat reminiscent of the Carpathians. There is also one of the few Welsh museums in the world. The churches also resemble the Carpathian ones - with domes, and eight-pointed crosses, but slightly different from ours (parallel). They didn’t even have independence for long - when Bonaparte cut Europe as he wanted, he first created the Wallis Republic, and then he himself liquidated it.
Vaduz. Cathedral.
The majority of believers (76%) profess Catholicism, Protestants make up about 7% of the population.
The most famous historical sites are Vaduz Castle, Gutenberg Castle, the Red House and the ruins of Schellenberg.
The largest museum is the Liechtenstein Art Museum, an international museum of modern art with important international art collections. The building by Swiss architects Morger, Degelo and Kerez is an important landmark in Vaduz. It was completed in November 2000 in the form of a “black box” made of black basalt. The museum's collection also contains Liechtenstein's national art collections.
Art Museum.
Another important museum is the National Museum of Liechtenstein (Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum), showing permanent exhibitions on the cultural and natural history of Liechtenstein, as well as special exhibitions. There is also a Printing Museum and a Ski Museum.
Schaan, Principality of Liechtenstein.
A little history...
The territory of the modern Principality of Liechtenstein has been inhabited since Neolithic times (about 3000 BC). 15 BC. Founding of Raetia by the Romans (the westernmost of the Danube provinces of the Roman Empire). In the 4th century AD e. - Roman fortress in Schaan. During the period of the Migration of Peoples, the arrival of the Alemanni. At the end of the 13th century, the Wallisians arrived in the mountainous Alpine areas of the current territory of the Principality. 1342: The County of Vaduz is created as a result of the division of inheritance between the brothers Rudolf and Hartmann von Werdenberg-Sargans. In the 15th century, the fief of Schellenberg and the county of Vaduz were in the possession of the barons von Brandis. Later they were replaced by the Counts of Sulz and the Counts of Gauguin. Before the reign of his current dynasty, the region belonged to the possessions of the Counts of Hohenems. The history of the von Lichtenstein noble family begins in the first half of the 12th century with the knight Hugo von Lichtenstein. It comes from Mödling, south of Vienna. Many members of the House of Liechtenstein held important diplomatic and military posts at the emperor's court. Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II is the thirteenth reigning Prince of Liechtenstein.
The Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the principality takes its name, originates from Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria, which the family had owned since at least 1140. Over the centuries, the dynasty acquired vast tracts of land, mainly in Moravia, Lower Austria, Silesia and Styria, although these territories were held in fief by older lords, especially under various lines of the Habsburg family, to which several Liechtenstein princes served as close advisors. Thus, without any territory immediately under the imperial throne, the Liechtenstein dynasty was unable to satisfy the basic requirement to qualify for a seat in the imperial parliament, Reichstag e.
Charles I, Prince of Liechtenstein (1569 - 1627). He was the founder of the princely family of Liechtenstein. He was the first Prince of Liechtenstein (1608-1627).
Charles was the son of Baron Hartmann II of Liechtenstein (1544 - 1585) and his wife, Countess Anna Maria zu Ortenburg (1547-1601).
In addition to Charles, Hartmann II, who belonged to the Nikolsburg branch of the Liechtenstein dynasty, and his wife Anna Maria zu Ortenburg, had at least two more sons: Maximilian and Gundakar.
Karl was raised in the Protestant faith and received the best education at the Czech Brothers' School. Charles became a Catholic in 1599. In 1605 he founded the first monastery north of the Alps of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Feldsberg, Lower Austria (now Valtice, Czech Republic). Having converted to Catholicism and entered the service of the emperor, the brothers accepted the New Family Treaty in 1606, according to which the eldest son of the oldest branch of the dynasty received the right to be called heir and could represent the dynasty as Regent of the House of Liechtenstein. The terms of this agreement, including other clarifications, were consolidated in the new Princely Dynasty Law in 1993, which formed the basic rights of succession to the throne in the Principality of Liechtenstein.
In 1608, Charles I of Liechtenstein received the hereditary princely title from the emperor. During the Czech uprising, the prince took the side of Emperor Ferdinand II . In 1622, the Emperor appointed Karl von Liechtenstein as Governor and Vice-Regent of Bohemia, and he was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece. In the same year, he was awarded the Silesian Duchy of Jägerndorf, which, in combination with Troppau, formed the equivalent in real estate to the rank of prince.
Thanks to the acquisition of confiscated rebel lands, the estate of the House of Liechtenstein was significantly increased. After the death of Charles (1627), the provisions stipulated in the 1606 inheritance agreement with his brothers regarding the family estate and succession came into force for the first time.
At the time of Charles's death, the family owned 5,800 square kilometers of land, including 24 cities, 35 city markets, 756 villages and 46 castles in Austria, Moravia, Silesia, Bohemia, Hungary and Styria.
In 1590 Charles married the Baroness Maria Anna Sembor von Boskovic and Lady Aussee in their own right(1575-1625). She became the first Princess of Liechtenstein.
They had four children. The heir was Carlos Eusebius (Evsey) (1611 - 1684).
Karl Eusebius von und zu Liechtenstein (1611 -1684) - Prince of Liechtenstein, representative of the first (Karlov) line of princes.
After the death of his father, Prince Charles I, the minor Charles Eusebius was under the guardianship of his uncles Maximilian and Gundakar. Traveled around Europe for several years as part of a ceremonial trip. In particular, in the period from 1629 to 1630 he visited Italy, where he acquired several objects of art, which laid the foundation for his collection.
In 1632 he took possession of the duchies of Troppau and Jägerndorf. From 1639 to 1641 he was Supreme Commander of the Duchies of Upper and Lower Silesia.
Unlike his ancestors, Eusebius pursued a peaceful domestic policy. The main focus of his activity was the restoration of possessions that suffered as a result of the Thirty Years' War. He suffered large financial losses associated with the Treasury challenging the legality of the acquisition of his possessions by Charles Eusebius's father, Prince Charles I.
Large financial expenses, however, did not become an obstacle for Karl Eusebius in his activities to improve the estate. Karl Eusebius was a famous horse breeder. His stables were famous throughout Europe, and he made expensive gifts to the reigning monarchs of his time, in particular the French king Louis XIV.
Karl Eusebius showed an interest in architecture and ornamental gardening, laying the foundation for the Feldsberg-Eisgrub park between Feldsberg and Lednice castles.
Feldsberg - Valtice Castle - Area: 3802 hectares.
Icegrub - Lednice Castle. Area: 2642 hectares.
LEDNICE-VALTICE palace and park complex (Feldsberg-Eisgrub Park) is located in southern Moravia between the villages of Lednice and Valtice on the border withAustria. Over the course of several centuries, on the initiative of the Liechtenstein family, a landscape and architectural ensemble was created here, which is considered one of the largest artificially created landscape objects in all of Europe. The main attractions are, naturally, the castles of Lednice and Valtice. In addition to them, in the created park there is a number of buildings in a romantic style, such as the Temple of Apollo, the Janow Grad Fortress, the Temple of Diana, the Temple of the Three Graces, the Belvedere, a greenhouse, etc. Together with the neighboring Lednice manor, with which Valtice is connected 7 - a kilometer-long linden alley, it is included in the World Heritage List, where it is called the “Lednice-Valtice Cultural Complex”. In 1992, the Lednice-Valtice complex was declared a landscape monument area, and in December 1996 it was included in the UNESCO list of monuments.
Carl Eusebius also wrote a treatise on architecture. In the period from 1666 to 1669, under the patronage of Karl Eusebius, the Lednice palace complex was built (now in the Czech Republic near the Austrian border), where he later moved his residence from Valtice.
Prince Karl Eusebius is the founder of the Liechtenstein collection, which contains paintings and other art objects from all over Europe. The collection was formed despite the financial difficulties that arose. The Liechtenstein Art Gallery occupies a special place in the collection. There is a lot of evidence of transactions involving the purchase of art objects by the prince. Karl Eusebius became the first of the princes of Liechtenstein to systematize the acquisition of new collection items. He had extensive connections with dealers throughout Europe, in particular with the Antwerp dealers Alexander and Wilhem Vorhoud, who had their own gallery in Vienna (Judenplatz, Vienna). The Prince divided his collection into several parts: in the summer palace (Eisgrub estate) and his main residence in Feldsbrug, where the paintings were exhibited in a specially built building, the “cross chamber”. Towards the end of Karl Eusebius's life, his collection grew so large that he was forced to refuse new purchases, since there was nowhere to hang new paintings.
After his death in 1684, he left his son, Prince Hans Adam, a rich inheritance and an extensive collection of art objects, which was subsequently increased by his son and other descendants.
Karl Eusebius married his niece on August 6, 1644, Princess Johanna Beatrix von Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg (c. 1625 - 1676). She was the daughter of Prince Maximilian II von Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg and his wife Princess Anna Maria of Liechtenstein, daughter of Prince Charles I.
They had nine children.
I considered being in Zurich and not getting to Liechtenstein a sacrilege to the traveler’s code, and immediately after finishing our training program, my companion and I went to this microstate. In this report, we will travel from Zurich to Liechtenstein, visit the capital - Vaduz and check in the passport the old fashioned way.
1. Like any Western European country, Liechtenstein makes its own wine
2. We rode on this glamorous beauty with a white roof 
3. Despite the middle of November, people windsurf on Lake Ober. We didn’t manage to see the sun that day. 
4. Along the way you come across many castles. Looking at my enthusiastic reports about forts in India, my friends have long been saying that we should go to Europe - there are fortresses on every corner 
5. Typical Liechtenstein rural landscape. One of the few cities in Liechtenstein is Balzers 
6. Castle in Balzers. Unfortunately, we were limited in time, so we didn’t see any of the castles we saw from the inside. 
7. It must be very beautiful here in the summer, when not only the grass is green 
8. Despite the fact that the week in Europe was coming to an end, the wooden shutters on the windows still attracted my attention. Notice the small windows under the roof 
9. Convenient location of the wine barrel - nothing to say. This structure was discovered on one of the streets of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. 
10. While it was still light, we went to take a closer look at the local castle. Interesting fact - the fences on the road are made of wood 
11. The Prince of Liechtenstein and his family live in the castle. Therefore, access for tourists is limited 
12. The castle rises above the city 
13. This is how residents and guests of the capital see him 
14. A building of unusual architecture was discovered 
15. Cute young riders, and already smoking:) 
16. I really liked the license plates of the principality’s cars. I even bought myself a magnet in the form of a number. 
17. Against the backdrop of November grayness, telephone booths gave summer brightness 
18. There are many non-standard monuments in Vaduz. See for yourself 
19. Bank of Liechtenschein 
20. I can’t even imagine what this monument means. 
21. Government building of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The house is rounded only in my photo, because... I glued them together with several photos :) 
22. We found the cathedral in the process of restoration 
23. The curved trees look so unnatural here 
24. And this is the Liechtenstein parliament building 
25. Liechtenstein also has its own police - as many as 120 people for a population of 36,000+. But there have been no military personnel since 1868 
26. Vaduz is not at all deprived of modern architecture 
27. 150 years of harmony music in Liechtenstein. What would that mean? 
28. We continue to explore the monuments of Vaduz - Resting woman 
29. I don’t know the real name of this monument, but to myself I nicknamed it “The Pickled Horse” :) 
30. It was a big surprise to discover a large population of nesting dolls in one of the local souvenir shops 
31. City Hall and several more gnawed horses. For reference, all the shots, starting with the phone booths and before, were taken on the same street. In fact, in Vaduz all tourism was concentrated on one street under the mountain with the fortress - Städle Street. 
32. Who knows what kind of cosmic trees these are? 
33. It was already getting dark and we decided to take another circle around the streets of the old city before heading back to Zurich 
34. A home-made road sign showing that children are crossing the road here 
35. And here they are preparing for the 2014 Olympics - their own hotel Adler :) But seriously, Adler is not only a district of Sochi, but translated from German it is “eagle”. 
36. When leaving Vaduz, a long wooden tunnel across the Rhine was discovered 
37. Switzerland begins in the middle of the Rhine 
38. On the way back we were again haunted by castles, this time illuminated 
39. Liechtenstein is not a member of the European Union, but is a member of Schengen and the European Economic Area. In Vaduz it is possible to put a Liechtenstein stamp on your passport, which is what we did.
