- Address: Gutenberg, 9496 Balzers, Liechtenstein
- Foundation date: XII century
- Construction: approximately 1100-1200 years.
The state of Liechtenstein , one might say, is a mountain principality. Approximately 70% of the entire territory is spurs of the Alps: mountains, ridges and hills, consisting not only of solid dolomites, but also of soft limestone and shale rocks. The mountain range stretches along the entire border with Switzerland and territorially in the south of Liechtenstein ends with the Balzers commune, the gem of which is the Gutenberg Castle.
History of the castle Gutenberg
The castle is built on a high hill and is one of the oldest buildings in Europe, its first chronicle mention occurs in records from 1263. Historians believe that the castle was erected for a very long time as a well-fortified fortress, having completed the main works only by the 11th-12th century. Since 1305, the castle Gutenberg passed into the possession of the barons Frauenberg (Frauenberg), and in 9 years already was the property of the Habsburgs, the Austrian dukes. The great European family owned a mountain castle for half a millennium.
Several times the castle was severely destroyed by fires, the most famous events occurred during the hostilities in the 15th century and in 1795. Although it was restored every time, but over time, the castle fell into decay, after it, the concrete owner did not gain a foothold. And in 1824, Prince Liechtenstein bought it and handed it over to the city of Balzers. According to the project of the capital's sculptor Egon Reinberger, by 1910 the castle ruins were restored, today we see this very image of the castle. For some time, a restaurant was working in Gutenberg, but soon the authorities abandoned this idea. In 2000, the castle Gutenberg (Burg Gutenberg) experienced a great restoration, today it is non-residential, the city spends in it various public entertainment events. The castle is closed for mass visits.
At one time around the castle archaeological excavations were carried out, which revealed the existence of settlements of people from the Middle Neolithic on the ground. A special pride of the Gutenberg Castle, that in 1499 the Roman Emperor Maximilian I spent the night in the walls of the palace during the military operations with the Confederation.
How to get there?
The distance from Vaduz, where there is another famous castle , to Barcelz about 11 kilometers, you can overcome this distance by bus number 12. The local residents have the main mode of transport is a bicycle, tourists mostly use taxis or rented cars. You will easily get to the castle yourself on the coordinates: 47 ° 3 '49,1556 "N, 9 ° 29' 58,0619" E.
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