Princely Hike

Photo: ZVG / Liechtensteiner Volksblatt / Volksblatt.li

Today's is one of those events I can only imagine happening in little Liechtenstein: Over the weekend, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie went hiking with the country's current and former mayors and heads of the municipalities. The tradition goes back many years when Princess Gina, the late mother of Prince Hans-Adam II, and one of the mayors had the idea. Since then, either the Princely or the Hereditary Princely couple is up for the job, this year it was the latter one.

This year's hike took place in the muncipality Balzers in the south of the Principality and kicked off with a mass celebrated by the local priest at so-called Schloss Gutenberg not to be confused with the nearby Burg Gutenberg. Built between 1854 and 1856, the three-storey building, which was quickly given the byname Schloss even though it never became a princely residence, was comissioned by Princess Franziska of Liechtenstein, mother of Prince Johann II and Prince Franz I. Since 1873, the building has served as an educational institution.