Traditions of Vaduz
The tiny alpine capital of Liechtenstein, whose national day on 15 August is celebrated with the prince in the castle meadow.
Vaduz is a small town under a castle which is the home of the prince of Liechtenstein. The principality is one of the smallest countries in the world. On the national day, 15 August, the prince receives all residents in the castle meadow for a speech, a toast and a free party.
National Day and Alpine customs
After a mass and a speech by the prince and the parliament's president, everyone is offered drinks and sausages in the meadow, and there are fireworks in the evening. In the mountains, the Alpabzug, the descent of the cows from the summer pastures, and the Fasnacht are marked in villages.
At the table
Käsknöpfle, small cheese dumplings with applesauce, Ribel, a dish of cornmeal, and Hafalaab, a pocket of dough with a filling, are national dishes. Wine from the local vineyards, such as Pinot Noir, is grown near the castle. Alpine cheese and honey are traded.
Signature traditions of Vaduz
Also part of it, and being written: Käsknöpfle (The cheese dumpling.), Alpabzug (The cattle descent.).
A trail idea for Vaduz
- Vaduz Castle See the castle from outside.
- Kunstmuseum See art.
- Rhine Valley vineyards Taste local wine.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Liechtenstein National Day: Förkle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source