Balzers

Balzers is a village located in southern Liechtenstein. As of 2019, the village had a total population of 4,642. The main part of the village is situated along the east bank of the Rhine.

Historically, the present-day form of the village consists of two different villages, the actual Balzers in the east and Mäls in the west. Not visible to the unaware, the division still persists in the local village culture, where it manifests in half-serious local competition. Some customs, such as the "Funken", a springtime ritual with pre-Christian origins involving a huge bonfire, are still being practised by each separately. The two parts were first mentioned in 842 as Palazole. Balzers is the home of the Burg Gutenberg, which was built in the 12th-century and located on a rocky hill in the centre of the village. On 7 April 2014, the manager, Jürgen Frick, of the Frick & Co. Bank was shot and killed in a parking garage in the town. The shooter, Jürgen Hermann, was found dead after committing suicide by shooting himself in the head. The event was noteworthy due to Liechtenstein’s extremely low crime rate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balzers

Photo: St9191