Balzers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Balzers
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Municipality
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Balzers in early September 2010
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Location of Balzers
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Balzers (southwest) and its exclaves in Liechtenstein
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| Country |  Liechtenstein |
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| Electoral district | Oberland | ||
| Villages | Mäls | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 19.73 km2 (7.62 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 472 m (1,549 ft) | ||
| Population
(31-12-2019)
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| • Total | 4,642 | ||
| • Density | 235.28/km2 (609.36/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST | ||
| Postal code |
9496
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| Area code(s) | 7003 | ||
| ISO 3166 code | LI-01 | ||
| Website | www.balzers.li | ||
Balzers is a village and a municipality in southern Liechtenstein. It is located on the east bank of the Rhine river. In 2019, about 4,642 people lived there.
Contents
History and Culture
Balzers is actually made up of two older villages. These are Balzers in the east and Mäls in the west. Even today, people from these two parts have a friendly rivalry. They even celebrate some old traditions separately.
One such tradition is the "Funken." This is a springtime ritual that dates back to before Christianity. It involves lighting a huge bonfire. Both parts of the village still practice this custom on their own. The two villages were first mentioned in history in the year 842. They were called Palazole back then.
Balzers is also home to the famous Burg Gutenberg. This castle was built in the 12th century. It stands on a rocky hill right in the middle of the village. It's a very old and important landmark.
Transport
Heliport
Balzers has a special heliport for helicopters. This heliport is used for charter flights. Its airport code is LSXB. It does not have border control facilities. This means only flights within the Schengen Area can use it. The Schengen Area is a group of European countries that have removed border checks between them.
Economy
Oerlikon Balzers
A big company called Oerlikon Balzers has its main office here. This company works with thin film coatings. They also deal with solar and vacuum technology.
Notable People
Many interesting people come from Balzers.
- Xaver Frick (1913–2009) was an amazing athlete. He competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. He ran in track events at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He also cross-country skied at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. He is the only athlete from Liechtenstein to have done this. In 2003, he received a special award called the Golden Laurel. This was for his great contributions to sports.
- Andrea Willi (born 1955) was a politician. She served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 2001.
- Christine Wohlwend (born 1978) is also a politician from Balzers.
Images for kids
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Balzers, entry from Trubbach
See also
In Spanish: Municipio de Balzers para niños
