Liechtenstein is a tiny European nation nestled between Switzerland and Austria.
Home to about 38,000 people, it’s the fourth-smallest and the second-least-visited country in Europe.
With an area of only 62 square miles, it’s nearly eight times smaller than the city of Los Angeles.
It has virtually zero national debt, and the per capita GDP is the second-highest in the world.
Liechtenstein’s only billionaire is worth half the country’s GDP. According to Forbes, Christoph Zeller is the country’s only billionaire.
It doesn’t have its own airport. The closest major airport is in Zurich, which is around an hour-and-a-half drive away from Vaduz.
Everyone gets to party in the big castle once a year.Every year on Staatsfeiertag, Liechtenstein’s national holiday, the palace throws open its doors. Prince Hans-Adam II and his son Prince Alois invite all 39,000 residents, and anyone else willing to make the journey, to Vaduz Castle. Taking place on the 15 August every year, guests can enjoy a beer in the gardens, as well as a party and fireworks in the town centre.
Not only is it Europe’s richest city, but it also has the world’s longest lunch break. Residents are also discouraged from making loud noises during the official 90-minute break from noon until 1.30 pm. Don’t try to make any noise after 10 pm either.
Women only got the vote in Liechtenstein in 1984. It was the last country in Europe to give women the vote. There were rederendums about women’s suffrage in 1971 and 1973 but both were voted against.
Liechtenstein’s national anthem, “Oben am jungen Rhein” (“Up above the young Rhine”) uses the same melody as the British anthem “God Save the Queen”. In the 19th century there were a handful of German-speaking nations using the same melody, including Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is the only remaining country still using it.
