A Castle on the Hill

Lichtenstein is one of the world's smallest countries. It's just over 60 square miles. For such a small country, it also has one of the highest GDPs and lowest unemployment rates. I stopped in to see if I could figure out what they were doing right when it came to finances.

Here we are in the center of Lichtenstein's capital city, Vaduz. So far, it looks pretty much like any other European city we've been in. The castle on the hill belongs to the Prince, and he actually lives there. It was striking to see the ruler of a country living so close to the 'commoners' over which he reigns. As it turns out, his whole family lives in that castle.

The City of Vaduz

Perhaps a clue as to the city's wealth can be found downtown. Exploring the area near the castle we notice that there is a heavy focus on the arts. Statues and sculptures are everywhere, and the city has gone to great lengths to be attractive. The shoe sculpture pictured above sits just outside of a shoe store.

Here is yet another example of the statuary ubiquitous throughout Vaduz. The horse statue sat outside of an art museum (no surprise there!) while the bird(?) was in a shop window. His alligator buddy (below) was in the window with him.

So what makes Lichtenstein such a prosperous country? Well, I dug a little deeper into the prince's rule. It turns out that his people place a great deal of trust in him. A few years ago, there was a vote to remove his veto power. The majority of the citizens of his country voted to let him KEEP the power to veto things they had voted on. That shows a great deal of faith in their leader, and more than anything, is likely what leads to such a prosperous country.

What do YOU think makes them such a wealthy country?

Thanks for joining me in Lichtenstein. Find me at Travel Life Services when you are ready to book your smallest countries tour.

Happy Travels!

Jennifer

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