Beautiful Balzars: Photos of a Liechtenstein Town

Balzers Today

The valley floor of Balzers, Leichtenstein with a new home in the foreground. Newer homes do not survive earthquakes as well as medieval construction, new research finds.

Balzers Castle

Castle Liechtenstein — (Image credit: Maria Brunhart-Lupo)

Castle Gutenberg in Balzers, Liechtenstein has deep foundations visible at the base of the castle walls.

Old Construction in Balzers

Old home in Balzers Leichtenstein — (Image credit: Maria Brunhart-Lupo)

A example of original house construction in Balzers, Liechtenstein. The double doors lead to the lower level where livestock would have originally been kept.

Rhine Valley

A view of the Rhine Valley, with Liechtenstein on the left and Switzerland on the right. Large faults are nearby, but only the Swiss side has been mapped geologically.

Rhine Valley View

Rhine Valley in Leichtenstein and Switzerland — (Image credit: Maria Brunhart-Lupo)

The Rhine Valley is seismically active, with several earthquakes a day that are too gentle to be felt. Occasionally, a larger quake rocks the region.

Castle and Church

Liechtenstein church and castle — (Image credit: Maria Brunhart-Lupo)

Gutenberg Castle and the Church of Saints Nicholas and Martin in Balzers, Liechtenstein.

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.