Research

The most significant composer from Liechtenstein is Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901). His musical legacy is preserved at the Bavarian State Library in Munich. His private records, as well as the documentation of his creations and works, can be found in the National Archives.

History of the Collection

In 1944, in order to maintain and document the artistic work of the composer and teacher, Walter Kaufmann and the princely music director Severin Brender founded an archive at the composer's birthplace, Vaduz. They collected printed music, literature, audio recordings, and other documents related to the composer. After Severin Brender's death, Harald Wanger took over the archive in 1960. The Rheinberger family supported the research and provided the archive with significant loans (including letters to the family, photographs, memorabilia, musical instruments). In 1998 the collection passed to the National Archives which has since been responsible for the care and development of the collection, while the International Rheinberger Society (IRG) is responsible for the work’s promotion and support for musical performances.

The structure of the Collection

The collection contains documents from two different provenances:

The Josef Gabriel Rheinberger Archive Vaduz (RhAV) is a Rheinberger-Documentation. The collection with the signature RhFA contains original documents on the life and work of the composer Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, which were separated from the Rheinberger Family Archive (AFRh) and loaned to the Rheinberger Archive.

E Archive

e-archiv provides access to selected documents from the National Archives as well as from other archives. The published contents are the result of various projects and collaborations between the National Archives, the Historical Association of the Principality of Liechtenstein, the municipalities of Liechtenstein and the Rheinberger Archive.

Liechtenstein Book of Historic Documents

Deeds from 1417 to 1510 are digitally available in the  Liechtenstein Book of Historic Documents (LUB II). Earlier documents are available in print and on eliechtensteinensia as well as on e-archiv, where an advanced search is available

The scientific edition of the documents originating from the reign of the Lords of Brandis is carried out by the Historical Association for the Principality of Liechtenstein. The edition began in 1997 and includes sources from domestic and foreign archives, that relate to the current territory of the state of Liechtenstein.

The Library of the National Archives offers extensive literature on the history of Liechtenstein and on the topic of Information Science. All are freely available in the reading room.

An online search is available via the Catalog of the Liechtenstein National Library