Ruggell

Ruggell (German pronunciation: [ʁuˈɡɛl] ^ⓘ; dialectal: Ruggäll)^[2] is a municipality of Liechtenstein. It is the northernmost and lowest elevated municipality. As of 2019, it has a population of 2,322.^[1]

Ruggell
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Ruggell
Ruggell in Liechtenstein
Coordinates: 47°14′36″N 9°31′48″E
Country	Liechtenstein
Electoral district	Unterland
Villages	None
Government
• Mayor	Christian Öhri (FBP)
Area
• Total	7.38 km2 (2.85 sq mi)
Elevation	433 m (1,421 ft)
Population  (31-12-2019)[1]
• Total	2,322
• Density	310/km2 (810/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	CEST
Postal code	9491
Area code	7010
ISO 3166 code	LI-06
Website	www.ruggell.li

History

Ruggell has an ancient history, with evidence of human activity preceding the Bronze Age. Recorded history begins with ties related to the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland.^{[citation needed]} The name comes from Old Romansh runcaglia, meaning "clearing".^[3] It is most known for conservation areas and the historic St. Fridolin's Parish Church.^{[citation needed]}

Ruggell had 397 inhabitants in 1784. A bridge across the Rhine (to Salez in Sennwald, Switzerland) was built in 1929.^[3]

Administration

Ruggell is administered by the mayor and a 8-person municipal council, elected every four years since 1975. The incumbent mayor is Christian Öhri, since 2023.^[3]

List of mayors (1864–present)

List of mayors (1864–present)

Name	Term	Party		Ref(s).
Makarius Büchel	1864–1867		—	[3]
Sebastian Heeb	1867–1870
Makarius Büchel	1870–1873
Sebastian Heeb	1873–1876
Rudolf Ignaz Öhri	1876–1879
Sebastian Heeb	1879–1882
Rudolf Ignaz Öhri	1882–1885
Chrysostomus Büchel	1885–1891
Franz Josef Hoop	1891–1894
Chrysostomus Büchel	1894–1900
Franz Josef Hoop	1900–1912
August Büchel	1912–1918
Andreas Eberle	1918–1921
Johann Büchel	1921–1930		CSVP
Franz Xaver Hoop	1930–1939		FBP
Josef Öhri	1939–1945
Ernst Büchel	1945–1951
Andreas Hoop	1951–1966		VU
Hugo Öhri	1966–1983		FBP
Anton Hoop	1983–1999		VU
Jakob Büchel	1999–2007
Ernst Büchel	2007–2015		FBP
Maria Kaiser-Eberle	2015–2023
Christian Öhri	2023–

Geography

While Liechtenstein is known as a largely mountainous country, Ruggell is largely flat and is situated along the Rhine River, where the international borders with Switzerland and Austria meet. On 13 August 2003, Ruggell had a temperature of 37.4 °C (99.3 °F), which is the highest temperature recorded in Liechtenstein.

Flora and fauna

Further information: Ruggeller Riet

Ruggeller Riet

On the north side of the Eschnerberg mountain is located the roughly 90-hectare nature reserve Ruggeller Riet, rich in fauna and especially in flora.^[4][5] The great biodiversity of the Ruggeller Riets includes peat moss, moor grass, Kleinseggenrieder and bogrush. At the end of May to June, the siberian iris blooms in the large parts of the nature reserve.^[5] 736 plant and 1,631 animal species occur in the Ruggeller Riet, among them the white stork and the Eurasian curlew, which has disappeared as a breeding bird since 1997.^[6]

The Ruggeller are popularly called "Lättaknätter". The loamy soil that occurs here is called "Lätta". In the past peat was used to heat houses during cold season. This ancient tradition has increasingly disappeared in recent years.^[7]

Sport

Municipality is famous for FC Ruggell, one of the best teams in the country, although it plays in the sixth division of Switzerland. In other sporting areas cycling, field hockey, skiing, and other winter sports stand out. In addition, the town of Ruggell has one of the four sports halls of Liechtenstein; the others are in Schaan, Vaduz, and Balzers.

Notable people

• Klaus Tschütscher (born 1967) a politician from Liechtenstein, twelfth Prime Minister of Liechtenstein 2009–2013, lives in Ruggell.
• Marcel Tschopp (born 1974 in Ruggell) a Liechtensteiner orienteer and track athlete, specializing in the marathon; was Liechtenstein's flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Benjamin Büchel (born 1989 in Ruggell) international footballer who plays for FC Vaduz.