Schaan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Schaan
Municipality
Top to bottom: View from Triesenberg with Schaan on the bottom right, city center, St. Laurentius Parish Church
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Schaan
Schaan and its exclaves in Liechtenstein
Country	Liechtenstein
Electoral district	Oberland
Villages	none
Area
• Total	26.92 km2 (10.39 sq mi)
Elevation	450 m (1,480 ft)
Population  (31-12-2019)
• Total	6,039
• Density	224.33/km2 (581.02/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	9494
Area code(s)	7005
ISO 3166 code	LI-07
Website	www.schaan.li

Schaan (German pronunciation: [ʃaːn]) is the biggest town in Liechtenstein by how many people live there. It's found north of Vaduz, which is the capital city, right in the middle of the country. In 2019, about 6,039 people lived there, making it the most populated area in Liechtenstein.

Schaan is an important place for travel and businesses. It covers about 26.92 square kilometers (10.39 square miles), including mountains and forests. It's a town in the Oberland area of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Schaan also has four small areas called enclaves that are completely surrounded by other towns: Brunnenegg, Gritsch, Guschg, and Plankner Neugrütt.

History of Schaan

New discoveries from old digs show that people have lived in Schaan for over 6,000 years!

Roman Times

Around 15 BC, the Romans, led by Augustus, took over the land where Liechtenstein is today. They created a Roman area called Raetia. In the 1st century AD, the Romans built a military road from Milan to Bregenz. This road went through what is now Schaan, leading to new settlements.

In 1887, two Roman soldier helmets were found buried near Dux. They had names carved on them: Publius Cavidius Felix and Numerius Pomponius. These helmets, from the 1st century AD, were probably a way to remember these two men. You can see them in museums in Bregenz and Zurich today.

The most important Roman building in Schaan was a fort built in the valley. Its job was to protect against attacks from the Alemanni people, who were invading more and more often. You can still see parts of its foundations and the gate tower near St. Peter's Church in Schaan. Inside this church, during digs, a place for baptisms from the 5th century was found. This suggests that Christianity arrived early in the area. Traces of a very old settlement from before Roman times were also found there.

Alemannic Settlement

Many old graves show that the Alemanni people also settled here. Back then, Schaan was like two separate parts. The Romanized Räter people lived around St. Peter's Church. The Alemannic people settled in the Specki area. Even today, you can see this split with two different alpine groups: the North-Alemannic group called Gritsch and the southern Rhaeto-Roman group called Guschg.

How Schaan is Run

Schaan is managed by its mayor and a council of 12 people. They are chosen every four years since 1975. The current mayor is Daniel Hilti, who has been in charge since 2003.

Mayors of Schaan (1864–Present)

Geography of Schaan

Schaan is the northernmost town in the Oberland region of Liechtenstein. To the south, it shares a border with the capital city, Vaduz. To the east, it borders Planken and Triesenberg. To the north, it borders the towns of Eschen and Gamprin.

On the west side, the Rhine River forms a natural border with Switzerland. To the east, the town is overlooked by the Three Sisters mountain range. Schaan also has four small areas (exclaves) that are inside other towns. It also has two small areas (enclaves) within its own main area. Because of this, Schaan borders Austria in three different places!

Getting Around Schaan

Schaan-Vaduz Train Station

Schaan-Vaduz is one of four train stations in Liechtenstein. It's in Schaan, about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) from Vaduz. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) owns it.

Eighteen trains stop here each day, with nine going in each direction between Switzerland and Austria. The station is on the electric Feldkirch-Buchs line. It's located between the Buchs SG station in Switzerland and the Forst Hilti stop in Schaan's northern part. Only local trains use this station.

Schaan Forst Hilti Train Station

The Forst Hilti station also has eighteen trains stopping daily, nine in each direction between Switzerland and Austria. It's right in front of the Hilti Corporation's main office, on the edge of Schaan.

Climate

Schaan has a climate that feels like an Oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) or a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). This means it has mild summers and cool winters.

Education in Schaan

Schaan has several places for kids to learn:

• There are four kindergarten locations: Malarsch, Pardiel, Rebera, and Werkof.
• The Gemeinschaftszentrum Resch, Primarschule provides primary education (elementary school).
• Realschule Schaan and Sportschule Liechtenstein are also in Schaan.
• Other schools like Realschule Vaduz and Oberschule Vaduz are in the Schulzentrum Mühleholz II in Vaduz.
• The Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium (a type of high school) is also in Vaduz.
• There's a private Waldorf school in Schaan. It opened in 1985 and has students from Liechtenstein, Austria, and Switzerland.

Famous People from Schaan

Many interesting people have connections to Schaan:

• Maria von Linden (1869–1936), a German scientist who studied bacteria and animals.
• Gerta Keller (born 1945, Schaan), a Professor of Paleontology and Geology at Princeton University since 1984.
• Roman Hermann (born 1953, Schaan), a former cyclist from Liechtenstein.
• Paul Frommelt (born 1957, Schaan), a retired Alpine skier.
• Peter Jehle (born 1982, Schaan), a footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Liechtenstein club FC Vaduz.
• Ivan Quintans (born 1989, Schaan), a footballer from Liechtenstein.

Gallery

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  Schaan town hall

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  Schaan-Vaduz railway station

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  Schaan–Buchs bridge, the only railway bridge between Liechtenstein and Switzerland

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  Headquarters of Hilti

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de Schaan para niños