Liechtenstein celebrates Monument Day and 150 years of the railway
The Feldkirch-Schaan/Vaduz-Buchs railway line was built in 1872 with a great impact on the economic development of the country. The Schaan-Vaduz railway stations and the station building in Schaanwald will be open to the public on Monument Day.
A bit of history
The only railway line that runs through Liechtenstein is the Feldkirch (Austria) – Buchs SG (Switzerland) line, which is about 8 km long and has three stations in the country. This railway line is on the international long-distance route Vienna-Salzburg-Innsbruck-Switzerland and is owned and operated exclusively by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
Since 1872, the first trains of the imperial and royal privileged Vorarlberg railway, then of the former Austrian State Railways, now ÖBB, have passed through the Principality of Liechtenstein on their journey between Austria and Switzerland, with stops at the stations Schaan-Vaduz and Nendeln, and later also in Schaanwald. Today Liechtenstein is celebrating 150 years of railway traffic.
Schaan-Vaduz station
This station was opened in 1872 and is located on the Feldkirch-Buchs railway line in Schaan.
The building is classified as a Liechtenstein state heritage site.
Nendeln station
Nendeln station was opened in 1872 and is located on the Feldkirch-Buchs railway line in the district of Nendeln in the municipality of Eschen. At the time, it was still considered a stop, unlike the Schaan-Vaduz station, which was classified as a ‘station’.
In the 2010s, the ÖBB wanted to modernise the station as part of the S-Bahn Liechtenstein project (a cross-border railway project of the three Alpine countries Liechtenstein, Austria and Switzerland) and install a double track between Tisis and Nendeln, as well as a Park&Ride facility. It was also planned for Railjet to stop with passenger changes to create direct connections to Zurich, Innsbruck, Salzburg or Vienna, however, the financing of the S-Bahn was rejected by Liechtenstein voters in the referendum on 30 August 2020.
Schaanwald station
The Schaanwald station was located on the Feldkirch-Buchs railway line in Liechtenstein and has been in operation since 1902 before being permanently decommissioned with the timetable change on 11 December 2011.
The station building was built in 1928 and has been part of the state heritage since 15 December 1998.
Under the title ‘150 Years of Railways in Liechtenstein‘, the Schaan-Vaduz railway station and the station building in Schaanwald will be the focus of the 30th European Monuments Day on Saturday, 3 September 2022, from 1.30 pm to 5 pm.
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30th European Monument Day
Monuments Days originated in France, where the ‘Journée Portes ouvertes des Monuments historiques’ or ‘Open Day of Historical Monuments’ was organised for the first time in 1984. Liechtenstein has been organising European Heritage Days since 1993 and visitors can visit monuments, buildings and other cultural assets that are often not open to the public.
Programme of celebrations 2022
The celebrations will take place on Saturday, 3 September 2022 with the following programme:
At 1.30 p.m., Manuel Frick, Minister of Society and Culture will open the Monument Day at the Schaan-Vaduz railway station followed by an introduction by Patrik Birrer, Head of the Office for Culture, on Liechtenstein’s railway history.
at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. there will be guided tours of the Schaan-Vaduz railway station.
Employees of the Department for the Preservation of Monuments will explain the recent restoration of the Schaan-Vaduz railway station and the station building in Schaanwald, which is currently being renovated.
The aim of the European Heritage Day is to make monuments accessible to a wider public, to show the historical and architectural context and to draw attention to the problems of use and conservation. At the same time, the day provides an opportunity to learn about heritage conservation, its political and cultural mission, its work and its range of services.
Source: OTS Fürstentum Liechtenstein