Vaduz

Vaduz, capital of Liechtenstein, central Europe, in the Rhine Valley. The seat of one of the two former lordships (Schellenberg and Vaduz) that united to form the principality in 1719, Vaduz is a flourishing tourist centre and the residence of the ruling prince, whose castle overlooks the town. Mentioned in a document of c. 1322, destroyed in the Swabian Wars (1499), and rebuilt in the following centuries, the castle was restored in 1905–16 in 16th-century style. Although it has belonged to the princes since 1712, Francis Joseph II, who succeeded to the monarchy in 1938, was the first to make it his permanent residence. The town’s Fürst Liechtensteinische Gemäldegalerie displays parts of the world-famous art collection of the princes of Liechtenstein. The State Art Collection includes works by 20th-century painters, and the Liechtenstein Postal Museum has a collection of stamps, including all of those issued by the country since 1912. Pop. (2006 est.) 5,070.