A look at Vaduz Castle

As the setting for a recent royal wedding reception, Vaduz Castle is the official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein.

Vaduz, which gets its name from the town in which it sits, was built in the 12th century, but it did not become the property of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein until 1712.

It’s thought that Vaduz was the replacement of the destroyed Schalun Castle, and it overlooks the Rhine River and the Swiss Alps.

The eastern side of the castle is the oldest, and the Chapel of St. Anna is thought to have been built during the Middle Ages. However, the home was burned in the Swabian War in the 1400s by the Swiss Confederacy. It was later expanded in the 1600s by Count Kaspar von Hohenems.

The Princely Family acquired the property when they purchased the countship of Vaduz. It was then that Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI combined Vaduz with the Lordship of Schellenberg that had been purchased by the family in 1699.

Vaduz Castle, which sits around 120 metres above the town, was renovated between 1904 and 1920 after falling into disrepair. Prince Franz Joseph II expanded the castle in the 1930s, and it became the primary residence of the family in 1938.

They open the gardens of the castle to the public on Liechtenstein’s national holiday each year on 15 August.

Unlike many royal residences across the world, Vaduz Castle is not open to the public. It is a private home for the Princely Family.