Tales of Liechtenstein Then and Now

Liechtenstein, wedged between Switzerland and Austria along the upper Rhine, is one of the smallest countries in Europe. Despite its size, the principality carries a long store of local tales involving devils, witches, ghosts, dragons, and robber barons, alongside stories of war and victory drawn from its centuries as an alpine territory. James Foster Robinson gathers a selection of these narratives in this collection, mixing older folklore with accounts that touch on more recent life in the country.

The book moves between traditional legend and contemporary observation. Some entries follow the pattern of alpine folk stories familiar across the German-speaking regions, while others reflect the particular history and geography of Liechtenstein itself. The principality has been an independent state since 1719, ruled by the same family whose name it bears, and its small population and compact landscape give its stories an unusually local quality. Robinson presents these tales without heavy academic framing, keeping the tone accessible and letting the stories carry their own weight.

The collection offers a window into a country that many readers may know only as a name on a map, providing concrete scenes and characters rooted in a specific alpine setting rather than generic European folklore.