Eschen, the village that acts as the north's capital

Eschen never makes it onto Liechtenstein’s postcards, and that’s precisely why I find it interesting. For centuries it was the north’s capital in all but name, with its court, its cattle market and its main church, and today it’s the most populous municipality in the Unterland. If you want to see that the country isn’t just Vaduz and Malbun, it’s a good place to stop.

Where the old lordship met

Eschen spreads over the southern slope of the Eschnerberg and two hills in front of it, with the hamlet of Nendeln to the south-east across a damp stretch of flat land drained by the Esche stream. The name appears as early as 842/43 as «Essane», and the Historisches Lexikon links it to a Celtic root meaning water.

Until 1808 the court of the lordship of Schellenberg sat here, and the Lexikon calls Eschen the centre of the Unterland. That history explains why the church and square feel bigger than you’d expect. The rest of the region is summed up on the Unterland of Liechtenstein.

What can you see in Eschen in a morning?

I’d start on the village square. That’s where you’ll find the Pfrundbauten, the former rectory and chaplain’s house, which the municipality describes as Eschen’s landmark together with St Martin’s church. They go back to the 15th century, have been listed since 1974 and contain a hall locals call the «Rittersaal», used for exhibitions and concerts. If one is on when you pass, go in.

St Martin’s is neo-Gothic, from 1893-94, and comes with an odd story. The Stuttgart architects behind it recycled the plans for a church that was never built in Rankweil, just over the border. A church stood on this spot as early as the 8th or 9th century, and next door you can see the foundations of its predecessor, uncovered in 1979-80.

The third stop is the Holy Cross chapel, which everyone calls the Rofenberg chapel. It’s small, probably early 16th century, and stands where the old route used by Vorarlberg pilgrims heading for Einsiedeln and Santiago met two other paths. The lordship’s court sat in front of it, or in the inn next door, until 1808.

The mill, the best thing in the village

Above the mill door there’s a year carved in Roman numerals, MDCCLXXVIII, which is 1778. The building started out as the lord’s wine press, and when wine stopped paying in the early 20th century a farmers’ cooperative bought it and fitted an electric mill in 1912. During the Second World War it ground over 400 tonnes. The municipality bought it in 1980, restored it and keeps it ready in case it’s ever needed.

What it mostly ground was the big, pale Rhine valley maize called «Tüargga», used for Rebel, the valley’s everyday food until the mid-20th century. Guided tours can be booked from 1 April to 31 October, and there’s an open milling day in spring. For me it’s what makes the detour worthwhile. What people eat today is covered on Liechtenstein food.

Nendeln, the other half

The hamlet of Nendeln belongs to Eschen and has what the village lacks, a railway stop and a Roman past. Above its school you can see the foundations of a 2nd-century country house beside the old road from Bregenz to Milan. It has its own page, Nendeln, because it deserves more than a couple of lines.

The Liechtenstein Trail also passes through Nendeln. Stage three ends at the station and stage four sets off from there towards Eschen, Bendern and Ruggell, so if you walk the whole country you’ll cross Eschen whether you plan to or not.

Up top, the Eschnerberg

Behind the village rises the Eschnerberg, the isolated hill that shapes the whole Unterland. The part belonging to Eschen holds two prehistoric sites, the Schneller, an Iron Age burnt offering site, and the Malanser, a small settlement that produced one of the oldest Neolithic adzes in the Rhine valley. Neither is much to look at, but the panels on the ridge path bring them to life. It’s all on the Eschnerberg.

Come in October if you can

If you can pick your dates, October has its charm. The Eschen fair runs from 9 to 11 October in 2026, and around the same days, a week after Vaduz, the village holds its autumn cattle show. The cows and the return from the Alps are explained on the Alpine cattle drive. And one detail I like, the municipal website says its restaurants pour wine from growers on the Eschnerberg itself.