Vaduz is the European capital and seat of Liechtenstein’s government, situated beneath Vaduz Castle.
Vaduz lies on the Rhine River in the Alpine principality of Liechtenstein. The town is the country’s political center: the government, parliament, and major national institutions are based there. Vaduz Castle stands on a rocky hillside above the town and is the private residence of the princely family, so it is not generally open as a museum.
The castle’s origins reach back to the medieval period, and it has been associated with the princes of Liechtenstein since the early eighteenth century. The town below became the country’s official capital in 1939, although neighboring Schaan is larger by population.
Vaduz is sometimes mistaken for Liechtenstein’s largest settlement. It is the capital, but Schaan has more residents. Liechtenstein itself is a sovereign landlocked state between Switzerland and Austria, and Vaduz is one of Europe’s smallest national capitals.