Untitled

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 40

Photographs and text

by

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor

Take an area barely the size ot Christchurch, transplant within it a range of lofty peaks, a fairy-tale village, medieval castle, vineyards, a skifield, and 25km of the Rhine, and you have the tnain ingredients of Liechtenstein, one of Europe’s mini principalities. Tucked alongside the north-eastern corner of Switzerland close to the Austrian and German borders, Liechtenstein is only 25km long by 10km wide with a population of Just under 22,000. The country depends heavily on tourism and most of the shops in the picturesque capital of Vaduz specialise in souvenirs. Vaduz Castle, the thirteenth-century residence of Prince Franz Josef n, overlooks the town from its vantage point high on a rocky ledge. The ski region is based at Maldun, about 20 minutes by road in the Ratikon Mountains near the Austrian border. The wine-producing area is on the gentle slopes running inland from the eastern bank of the Rhine. HOW TO GET THERE: Liechenstein Is conveniently reached from Switzerland. Using the Swiss Holiday Card, take a train to Sargans, then a post motor coach from the railway station to Vaduz. The card is valid on all coach routes within Liechtenstein. The Swiss rail system can be rejoined at either Sargans or Buchs.