Liechtenstein

TRAIL OF THE UNEXPECTED

As Europe’s least-visited country turns 300, a new national hiking trail promises to reveal some of the many unknowns about the nation, as Luke Waterson fi nds out.

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STUNNING ALPINE PATHS

he Liechtenstein Trail, the new cross-coun-

BELGIUM GERMANY try hiking route created as part of Liechten- CZECH REP. stein’s tercentenary celebrations in 2019, SLOVAKIA does not start where one might expect. LIECHTENSTEIN In the world’s only nation to fall com- HUNGARY T pletely within Alpine terrain, and in a land SWITZERLAND FRANCE SLOVENIA famous for its fairytale castles, this path CROATIA SERBIA began in a fl at, grassy fi eld. Th e mountains and the castles were BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA not far away, of course; nothing was far away in a country that measured 15.4 miles at its longest point and 7.7 miles at ITALY its widest. But in the misty April morning on which I stood at the trailhead, these were well out of sight, and I could see only a farmer tending his cows in a nearby barn. Both the man and beasts looked mighty surprised to see a hiker, which underlined who’s writing? to me just how un-traipsed the walk I was about to embark on currently was. Th at was not to say that the Liechtenstein Trail traversed par- A novelist and travel writer focussing ticularly remote ground. Largely linking up a series of pre-exist- on adventure and culinary travel, LUKE ing pathways, tracks and roads, many of its sections have been WATERSON is happiest when in the used by locals since time immemorial. But it was never walked great outdoors on a multiday hike. He writes mostly about wildernesses, as a complete route in its own right before this year. I knew this specialising in UK, Eastern European because one of the main forces behind the trail’s creation, Martin and South American travel. His latest Knoepfel, met me before I set out. I would be walking the route novel, Song Castle, set in 12th century Wales, was before the signposts had all been erected, he told me, and there published in 2018. would be no chance of fi nding the way without a trial version of the trail app, LIstory (a portmanteau of ‘Liechtenstein’ and ‘his-

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TAKING IT STEADY ON THE WAY DOWN PICTURE POSTCARD VILLAGES LINE THE ROUTE

THE BEAUTY OF AN EMPTY TRAIL NAVIGATING THE TERRAIN

tory’). He had only given LIstory to two people prior to me. One, were but a handful of some 150 distinctly more esoteric points an American who completed the path. The other had given up. of interest en route. Unusually, the LIstory app was designed to inform users about Liechtenstein’s culture, with the Liechten- Unexpected challenges stein Trail created to complement the app, rather than the other The trail followed a particularly zigzagging route from Liech- way around. The hike, therefore, was culturally led rather than tenstein’s southern border with Switzerland to its north-east- being a grand tour of the greatest viewpoints. ern border with Austria – 46 miles and three-to-four days’ hike I started out on low-lying land, by Liechtenstein’s lofty stand- in total – and its round-about nature is just one of the reasons ards, a mere 400m above sea level on emerald-green pasture navigation was challenging. The other reason? This was a path beside the . I soon saw Martin’s point: with 2,000m-plus that constantly foils expectations. Just as one imagined it would mountains not so far away, few would think to walk here, but keep rising into the clouds, it dropped into a bucolic village; as the valley scenery had its own charm. The early stages traced it seemed certain to plummet into a town, it twisted back into Liechtenstein’s least obvious border, skirting fields and woods; nature again. In a mountainous nation, this was a route as much on two recent occasions, in 1985 and 2007, the Swiss had inad- about forested foothills and riverside farmland as about scaling vertently intruded on Liechtenstein territory with armed forces peaks: a seldom trod way because, before its rebranding as the during training exercises. Liechtenstein Trail, few people, local or otherwise, would ever The first town on the trail was , a widely-dispersed set- have thought to walk it. tlement beautified by meadows grazed by livestock and tiers of “We want the trail to show the good and the bad of Liechten- flower-filled vineyards in-between the houses. stein,” Martin told me. “We are trying to create new wisdom Soaring over the rooftops was the walk’s first fortress, Guten- about the country in a modern way, by combining it with the berg Castle. I climbed up to the bailey for a spectacular view of app, which has a lot of augmented reality features, to create a the way ahead. As it turned out, the majority of Liechtenstein walk which will be eye-opening, even to locals.” stretched out before me, with the fertile Rhine Valley suddenly All this means that, while the walk does take in Liechten- swooping up abruptly into forests and near-vertical rock faces stein’s iconic mountain vista, the three-pronged ridge of Drei that seemed especially intimidating distorted by the lingering Schwestern, and its most internationally recognisable landmark, mist. The castle keep was locked, but LIstory informed me of the the castle where the principality’s royal family resides, these stories within. This was the former home of one of the most sig-

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DISCOVERING THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY

PRISTINE VALLEYS FLANKED BY TOWERING RIDGES

TAKING IN THE GNARLY RIDGELINE WELL-GROOMED PATHS LEAD THE WAY

nifi cant German-language medieval minstrels, and lovingly re- The mountains beckon constructed in Romantic style by Liechtensteiner architect and So pleasantly well-maintained was the trail that at fi rst I sculptor Egon Rheinberger, who did didn’t feel the eff ects when, above so in a fl amboyant take on its original the milling town of , I started design. Its immaculate terracotta on one of the most punishing climbs turrets fl ying high above the hilltop Liechtenstein of the route: 450m of up, corkscrew- seemed storybook medieval, a better ing through meadows and then for- version of the past than the real one. stretched out before est, fi rst to the hamlet of Böba and Idylls, I discovered, were huge- then on to , the end of ly important in Liechtenstein. For me, with the fertile the fi rst stage. Liechtensteiners were every few houses the path passed, health-conscious people. Sapped of there were elaborate window and Rhine Valley suddenly breath at the top, I rested against a back yard displays depicting pastoral post only to discover it was part of a scenes of yesteryear Liechtenstein, swooping up abruptly fi tness circuit winding off through from menageries of woodland ani- the woods. I decided against trying mals to a shepherd and his fl ock. Th e into forests and near- it out; my body was already getting many drinking fountains that would quite suffi cient workout. have been so important to travellers vertical rock Clinging to a steep grassy slope, of old had all been restored along the Triesenberg was the gateway to Liech- trail, complete with ornamentation faces. tenstein’s highest mountains. A road and a selection of drinking vessels. threaded up its contours and on to Even on remoter parts of the path, , the country’s only mountain pristine log-built benches or informative placards were posi- resort. Triesenberg was also known for its distinctive accent and tioned along the wayside. Heading up into the foothills after traditions thanks to the Walser people, originally from Switzer- Balzers, preserved rustic wooden houses still had the poles pro- land, who settled hereabouts in the 13th century. A small mu- truding at right angles from the walls for drying hay. seum in town showcased this ancient alpine culture; other than

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SEEKING OUT THE BEST SPOT TO ENJOY THE VIEWS THE BITTERSWEET SIGHT OF SWITCHBACKS

THE PERFECT WAY TO START A DAY THE JOY OF EXPOSURE

that Triesenberg was a place to drink frothy-headed beer and not linked by air or rail to the outside world, presented that sample the local delicacy of cordon-bleu (veal or chicken coat- opportunity. Due to the steepness of the descent, I caught ed in cheese and ham and then battered) while overlooking the my first eagles-eye glimpse from almost directly above. Rhine gleaming in the valley below. My overnight stop on day two was a city in name only. Its At Triesenberg, a tough choice faces the hiker. The main spread of burnished rooftops, with the Liechtenstein royal trail climbs to a high point at Profatscheng, before heading family’s castle residence presiding grandly over the scene, down through glorious forest and via two fantastic castles was smaller than most UK market towns. Still, with a ca- to the capital ‘city’ of . Another branch links with thedral, several museums and a pretty pedestrian street, it Liechtenstein’s most famous hike, the vertiginous Furs- was a lively break from the trail. It hardly seemed possible, tensteig-Drei Schwestern via ferrata path, negotiating a but Landstrasse, the main street transecting Vaduz and most forest-cloaked ridge between the two sets of summits in a of Liechtenstein, was one of the world’s foremost financial dazzling seven-mile romp through the Ratikon range that districts, once known as a tax haven for some of the world’s marked the divide between western and eastern Alps. The wealthiest individuals. two branches join again at . Unfortunately for me, I preferred the northern side of the city. It was broken up by snow was still thick on the mountain path (the route is normally radiant vineyards and old buildings relating to the viticulture accessible, like many alpine paths, only from June to September) that has been practised here for far longer than the 300 years of so I had to take the other trail. Lower it might have been, but it Liechtenstein’s existence. The third day’s hike wound through was still lovely. Profatscheng stood in for a lot of Liechtenstein these and up through mature woodland to pretty Planken, a postcard scenes for a reason: it was picturesquely framed be- traditional hamlet with a mountain hikers’ hut, the former royal tween forest and stark peaks, and a rustic hamlet here served to hunting lodge of Gafadurhütte, directly above on the trail down heighten its quintessential alpine attractiveness. A slippery, sla- from Drei Schwestern. lom-style path tumbled to the moody Wildschloss, a castle ruin From here I left the alpine foothills behind, crossing the flat perfect for a picnic that became my favourite of the country’s ground of the Rhine towards Liechtenstein’s lesser-known mas- many castles because of its peaceful forest setting. sif, (698m), which is dwarfed by the bigger moun- It was a rare thing to approach any capital city for the tains either side. LIstory filled me in on the colourful history of first time by foot, but the trail from here down to Vaduz, this area, once a site of Roman occupation, a devastating flood in

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BLUE SKIES AND EPIC VIEWS

LET’S GO

HOW TO GET THERE As Liechtenstein has no airport, the closest places to fly into are in Munich, (148 miles/two and a half hours’ drive from Vaduz) and Zurich (63 miles/one hour’s drive from Balzers). From Munich take the train via Innsbruck, Aus- tria, to Buchs, Switzerland, then a bus to Vaduz. Alterna- tively, from Zurich, take the train to , Switzerland, then a bus to Balzers. Liechtenstein has four train stations on the line between Feldkirch, Austria and Buchs, Swit- zerland. The closest station to the capital Vaduz is .

HOW TO DO IT Balzers, the village at the southern end of the trail, is the most convenient start point and, with a hotel and restau- ENJOYING THE WARMING RAYS OF THE MORNING SUN rants, is a good place to stay on your arrival day. The Liech- tenstein Trail starts outside Balzers, so ask at your hotel about transport to the trailhead. Hiking the trail south to the 1920s and a Papal visit in 1985 during which Pope John Paul II north, there are then buses back from the end of the trail delivered one of his most vehement attacks on abortion. at Schaanwald to Schaan and Vaduz. The hike is 46 miles, Eschnerberg, with the communities of , , which officially takes just under 24 hours of solid walking. and around its slopes, made up a chunk Spread over four days this allows for overnight stops in of northern Liechtenstein ironically known as Upper Liech- Triesenberg, Vaduz/Planken and Ruggell/Schellenberg. tenstein, despite its lower altitudes. Prior to the country Seasoned hikers can complete the hike in three days. forming in 1719, the territory was divided into the Lordship of Schellenberg (this northern part) and the (the WHAT TO TAKE southern part), and Eschnerberg did, I felt, have a different Take day provisions only, as most of the communities feel, noticeable mainly in the friendliness of its inhabitants. on the trail have shops and restaurants. A water bottle Schellenberg was the village – complete with a duo of cas- to fill up at the beautiful fountains along the way and tles and a monastery - that crowned Eschnerberg, and it was a German phrasebook are both useful. If taking on the here, as I walked around this forested upland on the final day mountain branch of the trail, bring hiking poles, a first of walking, that I had my best and most traditional experience aid kit and clothes suitable for the cold, wet weather of Liechtenstein. that can blow in at any moment, as well as your stand- Hurrying in out of the snow to the restaurant Wirtschaft ard hiking setup. Bring cooking kit and sleeping gear if zum Löwen mere miles from the end of the trail, I found a cosy staying at a mountain hut. 450-year-old farmhouse serving traditional country food. Huddling from the vile weather, and tucking into a plate of WHERE TO STAY Käsknöpfle, pieces of pasta doused in a rich cheese sauce and Vaduz has the best selection of hotels, while Balzers, covered in crispy fried onions, I chatted with the afternoon’s Triesenberg, Ruggell and Schellenberg offer several ac- other merry diners over glasses of wine grown just down the commodations. There is a campsite between Balzers and hillside. The subject of what I was doing in a spot so rarely Triesen called Camping Mittagspitze. One of Liechten- visited by foreign tourists came up, and I told them I had been stein’s three high-altitude hiker’s huts, Gafadurahütte, is hiking the Liechtenstein Trail. They looked at me blankly. They near Planken. had never heard of it.

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