Balzers, Liechtenstein's deep south at the foot of Gutenberg

Balzers is the first sight of Liechtenstein if you come up from Graubünden and the last one heading down towards Chur. I think it’s the most photogenic municipality in the valley, mainly because of a white castle perched on a rock covered in vines. There’s more to it than Gutenberg, though, and here’s how I’d spend half a day.

Two villages with a castle in the middle

On 31 December 2025 Balzers had 4,835 residents. It covers 19.7 km² and its parish church stands at 477 m. The Historisches Lexikon explains that the municipality consists of two villages, Balzers and Mäls, which grew together in the early 20th century. Between them, on a hill, sits Gutenberg Castle, the emblem of the place.

The name tells a story of its own. According to the Lexikon it comes from the Latin palatiolum, a small palace or lordly seat, and appears around 842/43 as Palazoles. For centuries Balzers was a stop on the road between southern Germany and northern Italy, at the foot of the St. Luzisteig pass, the gateway to the Alpine passes of Graubünden. The railway and the road on the Swiss bank took that traffic away in the 19th century.

The border has always shaped the place. The Lexikon explains that Balzers and Mäls were frontier and customs posts, and that those customs stations vanished in 1924 with the customs union with Switzerland. To the west, across the Rhine, the municipality borders Wartau and Sargans in the canton of St. Gallen, and to the south Fläsch and Maienfeld in Graubünden. The municipality and its residents even own around 372 hectares of forest and pasture inside those Graubünden neighbours, including the Lida alp.

What would I see in Balzers with half a day?

I’d start with Gutenberg Castle. It’s a fortress from around 1200 that belonged to the Habsburgs from 1314 to 1824, fell into ruin after 1750 and was rebuilt by the architect Egon Rheinberger by 1910. The state has owned it since 1979. It doesn’t open daily, but the outer bailey can be visited free all year, and from May to October the chapel and rose garden open on Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00. The interior is only shown on a booked guided tour.

Then I’d drop down to Mäls, which is where the oldest things are. St Peter’s chapel dates from around 1300 and has a Gothic winged altarpiece from about 1516, while Mariahilf, baroque with an onion-domed tower, is tied by legend to a battle in 1289. I cover both on the Mäls page.

The parish church, the old parsonage and the bits guidebooks skip

In the centre are St Nicholas parish church, the one in the photo, and the Alter Pfarrhof, the old parish house, which the tourist board says hosts temporary exhibitions on local subjects. The council also keeps an inventory of historic buildings with names such as the Torkel, the old wine press, the Mühle, the Turmhaus and the Gasthaus Engel.

There’s one ruin almost nobody visits. Grafenberg, also called the Mörderburg, stands at 639 m on the slopes of the Fläscherberg, technically in the Swiss municipality of Fläsch but owned by Balzers. The Lexikon says it was lived in during the 13th century and probably burnt down. I compare it with the others in my guide to castles in Liechtenstein.

A southern village with a life of its own

For its size, Balzers is busy. The Lexikon notes that operettas have been staged here since 1946 and that the Schlosskino cinema has been running since 1958. The council website also lists a climbing garden, the Klettergarten Ellhorn, the Oberäckerle campsite and an indoor pool, which is included in the ALL INCLUSIVE Erlebnispass along with those in Triesen and Eschen. If you want to camp, the other options are in hostel and camping in Liechtenstein.

Getting there and where to go next

The association that runs Gutenberg recommends LIEmobil line 11 to the Rietstrasse or Mälsner Dorf stops and, by car, the Trübbach/Balzers exit of the Swiss A13 motorway, with public car parks in the centre. The last stretch up to the castle is on foot.

If you like walking, Balzers is the natural starting point for the country. The first leg of the national trail, stage 1 of the Liechtenstein Trail, begins at Gutenberg and climbs over 15.7 km to Triesenberg, passing the old Roman road and St Mamertus chapel in Triesen. I’d walk it on a clear spring or autumn day.