Liechtenstein Genealogy

Europe Liechtenstein

Guide to Liechtenstein ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Getting started with Liechtenstein research
Liechtenstein was part of the old German Empire established in the 10th century. In 1719 the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg became a principality in the hands of a branch of the House of Liechtenstein. It became independent after the dissolution of the Empire in 1806. It joined the Germanic confederation for a time and was part of the Austrian customs union prior to World War I. It has since joined the Swiss customs union and uses Swiss currency and diplomatic resources.

Liechtenstein was largely untouched by the Reformation. Important records were kept by Catholic Church officials concerning land, tax, court and other civil affairs. Church records date from 1560.

Jurisdictions
The area of Liechtenstein is 61.8 square miles, situated between Switzerland and Austria. The capital is Vaduz ( pop. 5,000). There are 11 communes:


 * Balzers
 * Eschen
 * Gamprin
 * Malbun
 * Mauren
 * Planken
 * Ruggell
 * Schaan
 * Schellenberg
 * Triesen
 * Triesenberg
 * Vaduz

Research Tools

 * LiechtensteinGenWeb Project
 * Directory of Royal Genealogical Data
 * Liechtensteiner Namenbuch - includes links to the six-volume place-name book for Liechtenstein. The books explain village- and farm names and give some historical background

Featured Content
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:


 * Liechtenstein Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)