Discover Balzers: Culture, Nature and Biking Experiences

Balzers combines historic buildings, natural landscapes and opportunities for outdoor activities. If you are looking for a hotel in Balzers, you can plan your stay around whether you are particularly interested in architecture, nature, or cycling and climbing. The following topics offer concrete pointers to help you choose the focus of your trip.

Culture and Architectural History

In Mäls, St. Peter’s Chapel is one of Liechtenstein’s oldest surviving religious buildings and is also considered the heart of the Mäls settlement. The tower house in Mäls was built around 1300 and is the only surviving medieval secular building of its kind in Liechtenstein. The chapel and tower house thus represent two distinct aspects of architectural history: religious architecture and medieval secular architecture.

The parish church of St. Nicholas in Balzers was built between 1909 and 1912 in the Neo-Romanesque style. Mariahilf Chapel has been a listed monument since 1951. These details refer to different historical aspects: the construction period of the parish church and the chapel’s protected status. The Torkel building in Balzers is the last surviving building of its kind in the municipality and contains a complete historic wine press. Balzers Mill is the only mill in Liechtenstein that still produces flour on an ongoing basis. The Old Parish House features temporary exhibitions about the local area, complementing the buildings with changing cultural themes.

Nature and Landscape

Balzers’ nature highlights range from plant diversity to distinctive waterscapes. The hill on which Gutenberg Castle stands is home to 280 plant species, almost one-fifth of all plant species in Liechtenstein. Ellhorn is home to the last natural stretch of the Rhine riverbank before the river flows into Lake Constance. The Balzner Giessen are the last near-natural watercourses in Liechtenstein’s valley plain. These examples represent different areas of interest: species diversity on the castle hill, a natural riverbank and near-natural watercourses. If you would like to plan your trip around landscape features, these examples can help you identify the aspects that interest you most.

Outdoor Activities

A nature and forest trail is located at St. Katrinabrunna. For cyclists, the Bike Skillpark offers an approximately 600-metre-long singletrack with a range of skill elements. It winds through the alluvial forest next to the existing Vita Parcours. At the Bike Skillpark, mountain bikers and e-bikers can practise their riding skills on features of varying difficulty. The concrete pump track in Balzers is open for riding all year round. At Ellhorn, the climbing garden has a range of routes graded 5 to 8.

There is also a hiking route associated with the town: in Balzers, you can take the “Around Ellhorn” route. The activities take different forms—from a nature and forest trail to cycling practice and a pump track, as well as climbing routes and a hike. This lets you choose between different activities when planning your trip, rather than treating them as a single programme.

Access and Practical Information

The outer bailey of Gutenberg Castle is freely accessible all year round. The Bike Skillpark is open to everyone and free of charge. Access information may change, so check the latest details before your visit. Check the route details before setting off on the “Around Ellhorn” hike.

Discover more destinations: Schaan, Schellenberg.

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