Castles in Liechtenstein, from the Prince's home to ruins in the woods

Plenty of people come to Liechtenstein with castles in mind and find that the most famous one is off limits. That’s not the country being awkward; the Prince lives there. Happily there are others, and I think Liechtenstein’s castles are one of the best ways into its history. Here’s what there is, what you can set foot in and the order I’d take them in.

Two standing, four in ruins

Two are still standing, Vaduz Castle above the capital and Gutenberg Castle in Balzers. There are four ruins, two at Schellenberg in the Unterland, Schalun in the woods between Schaan and Vaduz, and Grafenberg, which belongs to Balzers even though it’s on Swiss soil.

Most of them share a story. They date from the 12th and 13th centuries, and according to the Historisches Lexikon Gutenberg and the Schellenberg castles guarded the route from southern Germany to Italy over the Alpine passes. Most ended up as ruins once they were no longer needed. Only Vaduz stayed lived in, and Gutenberg was rebuilt in the early 20th century.

Can you visit Vaduz Castle?

No, and it’s worth knowing before you climb the hill. The Princely House says so in its FAQ. The reigning Prince and the heir and his wife live there, and visits are kept for very special occasions. One thing that confuses people is the flags on top, which don’t signal that the Prince is at home, since the family raises them daily unless it’s blowing hard.

I’d still put it on the list. Its core, the great tower, goes back to the 12th century, the round bastions were added in the 16th, and documents first mention it in 1322. The family has owned it since 1712 and it has been the princely residence since 1938. You can see it close up from outside and, better still, from the valley, where the tourist board puts it about 120 metres above the town.

Gutenberg, the one you can walk into

If you’re only going inside one castle, this is it. Built around 1200, it spent five centuries in Austrian hands, was abandoned in the mid-18th century and rescued from ruin by Egon Rheinberger in the early 20th. Today it’s state property. During the May to October season you go in with a guide by booking, on Sundays in that season the chapel and rose garden open free, and the outer bailey is open all year. I go into detail on its own page and, with the village, in my guide to Balzers.

The ruins, for people who like a walk in the woods

The two at Schellenberg get the most visitors. The lords of Schellenberg built them from the late 12th century, the House of Liechtenstein bought them with the lordship in 1699, and since 1956 they’ve belonged to the Historical Society. The Obere Burg, at 668 m, keeps remains of the keep, the great hall and the cistern, and the tourist board describes it as a much-loved outing reached by a short walk. The Untere Burg, at 595 m, has its curtain wall, part of the tower and a rebuilt oven. One detail I love is that in the 18th century the names old and new got swapped, and it took archaeology to sort it out. More in Schellenberg castles.

The Schalun castle ruin, also called the Wildschloss, stands on a ridge at 862 m. Building began in the 12th century, and it was cleared out in the 14th before burning down. Grafenberg, the last, is little more than a scatter of stones on the slopes of the Fläscherberg, the remains of a castle lived in during the 13th century.

Liechtenstein Castle isn’t in Liechtenstein

This is the fact that surprises people most. According to the Princely House, the name Liechtenstein first appears around 1136, and Hugo of Liechtenstein probably took it from Liechtenstein Castle, south of Vienna. The family bought Schellenberg in 1699 and Vaduz in 1712, and the country took their name, not the other way round.

The order I’d see them in

On a summer Sunday I’d start at Gutenberg, head up to Vaduz to see the castle from outside and carry on through the woods to Schalun, which is on stage 2 of the Liechtenstein Trail. I’d save the Schellenberg ruins for my Unterland day, since stage 5 goes right past them.