Kunstraum Engländerbau

What this place is

Kunstraum Engländerbau is a non-commercial exhibition space for contemporary art in central Vaduz. Since 2002 it has used the second floor of the Engländerbau for a programme led primarily by artists from Liechtenstein and the wider region. It is a focused place for temporary projects rather than a collection museum: each visit depends on the current installation or exhibition.

The 300-square-metre gallery accommodates painting, photography, sculpture, video, performance and room-filling installation. Its exhibition room is windowless and column-free, allowing artists to treat it as a single, adaptable volume.

The building

The venue is reason enough to pause outside. Architect Erwin Hinderer designed the Engländerbau in 1933 as a commercial building; it is a protected early-modernist landmark. Look for the long steel-frame structure, brick infill, vertical travertine cladding and precise rows of upper-storey windows. A cylindrical stair tower projects from the north side.

Before the contemporary programme arrived, the building displayed works from the princely collections and later housed the state art collection, until that collection moved to the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein in 2000. The building therefore links Vaduz’s current art scene with its earlier collecting history.

Visiting the exhibitions

Expect a small number of changing presentations each year, often built specifically for the room. The programme can include accompanying events, so the exhibition dates matter more here than at a permanent museum.

Admission: free.

Hours: daily, 13:00–17:00.

Allow around 30–45 minutes for the exhibition; longer if there is a performance, talk or other programme event. The venue does not sell or acquire art, so approach it as a public exhibition platform rather than a commercial gallery.

Getting there and access

Kunstraum Engländerbau is at Städtle 37, in Vaduz’s traffic-free centre. The Vaduz, Post bus stop is a short walk away; it has connections from Sargans and Buchs in Switzerland, and Feldkirch in Austria. If driving, use the nearby Postgarage, Marktplatzgarage or Kunstmuseum parking. Bicycle parking is available by the Liechtenstein Center.

The same building also contains the Liechtenstein Postal Museum and Liechtenstein Treasure Chamber, making it practical to combine several compact indoor visits. The Engländerbau has a stair lift for visitors with disabilities.