Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein, an independent principality of Europe, separated from Switzerland on the west by the Rhine; on the east it is bounded by Vorarlberg. Area, 61 sq. m.; pop. 9124. It is a mountainous district made up of the lordship of Vaduz and the county of Schellenberg. The chief town, Liechtenstein, formerly called Vaduz (pop. 1018), lies 28 miles SSW. of Bregenz on Lake Constance. The inhabitants carry on agriculture, rear cattle, and cultivate the vine. They are exempt from military duty. Liechtenstein, with several other small states, formed the fifteenth member of the German Confederation until its dissolution in 1866; but in the Plenum, or full Council of the Diet, it had a separate vote. The Prince of Liechtenstein, whose family is one of the most ancient in central Europe, possesses extensive estates in Austria, Prussia, and Saxony. The little state is a constitutional sovereignty, and is ruled by the prince and a legislative assembly of fifteen members, twelve elected by the people and three by the prince. Liechtenstein belongs to the Austrian customs, postal, legal, coinage, judicial, and taxation systems. See works by Falke (3 vols. Vienna, 1868-83) and Krätzl (4th ed. Brunn, 1884).