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Castle in Liechtenstein
Vaduz Castle
(
German
:
Schloss Vaduz
) is the
palace
and
official residence
of the
Prince of Liechtenstein
.
[1]
The castle gave its name to the town of
Vaduz
, the capital of
Liechtenstein
, which it overlooks from an adjacent hilltop.
[2]
[3]
History
[
edit
]
The former owners, who were presumably also the builders, were the counts of
Werdenberg-Sargans
. The
bergfried
(the
keep
, built in the 12th century) and parts of the eastern side are the oldest. The tower stands on a piece of ground that is 12 by 13 metres (39 by 43 feet) in area. At the ground floor, the tower walls have a thickness of up to 4 metres (13 feet). The original entrance lay at the courtyard side at a height of 11 metres (36 feet). The chapel of St. Anna was presumably built in the
Middle Ages
as well. The main altar is late-gothic. In the
Swabian War
of 1499, the castle was burned by the
Swiss Confederacy
. The western side was expanded by Count Kaspar von Hohenems (1613?1640).
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
The
princely family of Liechtenstein
acquired Vaduz Castle in 1712, when it purchased the countship of Vaduz. At this time,
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
, combined the countship with the Lordship of
Schellenberg
, purchased by the Liechtensteins in 1699, to form the present Principality of Liechtenstein.
[8]
Today
[
edit
]
The castle underwent a major restoration between 1904 and 1920, then again in the early 1920s during the reign of
Prince Johann II
, and was expanded during the early 1930s by
Prince Franz Joseph II
. Since 1938, the castle has been the primary residence of Liechtenstein's Princely Family. The castle is not open to the public as the princely family still lives in the castle.
[9]
[10]
[11]
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
External links
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]
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