Liechtenstein
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Liechtenstein. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
an independent principality of Europe, separated from Switzerland on the W. by the of Liegni Rhine; on the E. it is bounded by Vorredericic arlberg; area, 61 square miles. It is a mountainous district made up of the under lordship of Vaduz and the countship of Schellenberg. The chief town, Liechtenstein, formerly called Vaduz, is 28 miles S. S. W. of Bregenz on Lake Constance. The inhabitants carry on agriculture, rear cattle, and cultivate the vine. They are exempt from military duty. Liechtenstein, with several other small States, formed the 15th member of the German Confederation till its dissolution in 1866; but in the Plenum, or full Council of the Diet, it had a separate vote. The Prince of Liechtenstein possesses extensive estates in Austria, Prussia, and Saxony. The little State was, until the establishment of the Austrian Republic, a constitutional sovereignty, ruled by the Scott, prince and a legislative assembly. On Nov. 7, 1918, the Diet passed a resolution making Liechtenstein an independent State. Pop. about 11,000. LIÈGE, a city of Belgium, capital of province of same name, 54 miles S. E. of Brussels, on the Meuse, at the influx A of the Ourthe. It is an important stronghold, being surrounded by a circle of forts. The Meuse divides the city into the old town and the new town, the former on the left bank containing the 1901 citadel and principal public buildings, the latter numerous manufacturing establishments. The chief center is the Square d'Avroy, and the chief edifices. include the Churches of St. Jacques, St. Paul, St. Croix, St. Barthélemy, St. Martin, St. Denis, Academie de Beaux Arts, Théâtre Royal, Palais de Justice, and town hall. Has university with 2,000 students and 20,000 volumes. Is center of rich coal district, some of the mines being under the city streets. Has large artillery works, and machine mills. Industries very varied, and the city is seat of active commerce. It was the the first considerable town in the way of way of the Germans when they invaded Belgium Belgium in August, 1914. The first infantry atantry attack was made on August 5, and the st 5, and the Germans were in the town on August 8, the town on August 8, the forts around the town being later the town being later battered down by the big guns from the he big guns from the Austrian foundries at Skoda. The city at Skoda. The city remained in German hands till the end an hands till the end of the war. Pop. about 175,000. 175,000. town of Prussian
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a principality lying between Austria and Switzerland. In 1806 it was a member of the Rhine Confederation. After the Napoleonic wars it formed a part of the German Confederation; but since the breakup in 1866 the principality has been theoretically independent. The legislature is a diet of fifteen members, three appointed by the prince, twelve selected by vote. Area, sixty-five square miles. Population, 9,650. The prince resides in Austria, where he has extensive estates. The largest town has 1,200 inhabitants. The inhabitants are engaged in rearing cattle. Other products of the country are corn, wine, fruit, and timber. The people are chiefly Roman Catholics. The principality is virtually a Swiss canton dependent on the Austrian empire.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
When Aiton's called it in 1910 "virtually a Swiss canton dependent on the Austrian empire," it was describing an arrangement that collapsed with Austria-Hungary: Liechtenstein signed a customs and postal union with Switzerland in 1923 and adopted the Swiss franc in 1924, and Switzerland has represented its interests abroad ever since. Both accounts note that the prince lived on his estates in Austria; Franz Josef II moved permanently to Vaduz Castle in 1938, and Vaduz — which Collier's oddly calls "Liechtenstein, formerly called Vaduz" — is the undisputed capital of a state of roughly 40,000 people rather than the 9,650 or 11,000 recorded here. Low taxes and financial services turned one of Europe's poorer rural corners, where people "rear cattle and cultivate the vine," into one of the world's highest per-capita incomes. The country joined the United Nations only in 1990, and women did not get the vote in national elections until 1984.
Written for this edition, 2026.