**May 1945: Princess Gina meeting Captain Eichenberger, Commander of the Swiss Border Guard, in Schaanwald.** Liechtenstein National Archives, B 413/001/016, photo: Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, Vaduz

Princess Gina and the Red Cross

Towards the end of the Second World War there was a growing influx of displaced people crossing into Switzerland and Liechtenstein, where aid was provided by volunteers. Among those helping out was Princess Gina. This experience would inspire her to found the Liechtenstein Red Cross.

Günther Meier

Günther Meier was editor-in-chief of the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt. He writes for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung from Liechtenstein.

Liechtenstein remained untouched by armed conflict during the Second World War. However, the stream of refugees at its border revealed what hardships and fears people were facing elsewhere. In the last few days of April 1945, the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt newspaper reported on their plight directly from the Liechtenstein-Austrian border: “It is hard to believe the misery and suffering of the poor wretches now crossing our border. It is impossible to imagine unless you have seen it for yourself.” The people seeking refuge came from all types of backgrounds, but they all wanted the same thing: safety. “Migrant workers in ragged clothing and shabby remnants of uniform stood in line for a bowl of soup next to formerly well-to-do women in furs they had perhaps managed to salvage as the sole remaining symbol of their erstwhile status. They were all driven by the same thought: to escape from hell!”

The Liechtenstein government responded to the mass misery by providing emergency relief, aided by scores of volunteer helpers who made soup, comforted and consoled the desperate refugees or gave them food for their onward journey to Switzerland.

**From the end of April 1945, the Schaanwald border crossing was overrun by refugees.** Liechtenstein National Archives, B 413/003/046, photo: Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, Vaduz

One of the many helpers was Princess Gina of Liechtenstein. In addition to playing a hands-on role, she also became inspired with the idea of setting up an aid organisation. The newspaper reported that the volunteers’ morale was boosted by the Princess as she spurred them on in their efforts: “She took an active role, stepping in here and there, distributing aid and speaking kind, reassuring words to the poor souls. The country, the entire population, is proud of this noble lady, who is so graciously willing to come to the aid of those in need.” From here, it was only a short step to the founding of the Liechtenstein Red Cross on the Princess’s initiative, with both active and financial support from her husband Prince Franz Josef II.

**Princess Gina in action at the Liechtenstein border in May 1945.** Liechtenstein National Archives, SgAV 01 N 012/068, photo: Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, Vaduz

An announcement in the national press drew the public’s attention to the establishment of the Liechtenstein Red Cross on 30 April 1945: “Called into being at the behest of our revered Prince, guided by the beloved mother of our nation, Princess Georgine, and recognised by the Princely Government, a national Liechtenstein Red Cross society has been founded in response to the emergency situation. Like its sister societies in the Red Cross movement in other countries, it aims to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found, both in times of peace and in times of war.” The announcement was accompanied by an appeal to readers to become Red Cross members.

Close cooperation with Switzerland

For most of those fleeing, Switzerland ‒ and not Liechtenstein ‒ was the ultimate destination. The two countries reached an agreement on the handling of refugees on 27 April 1945, after which the same rules of admission were to apply both in Liechtenstein and at the Swiss border. Liechtenstein’s auxiliary police was drafted in to protect the border, but acted on the orders of the Swiss Border Guard Command. Liechtenstein agreed to put up barbed wire installations to secure the border. Refugees who were not turned away immediately at the crossing point were to be handed over to the Swiss Territorial HQ at Buchs in the neighbouring canton of St. Gallen.

**The Liechtenstein authorities worked closely with their Swiss colleagues at the border in Schaanwald. Princess Gina can be seen here in their midst.** Liechtenstein National Archives, B 413/001/007, photo: Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein, Vaduz

A reporter for the Volksblatt newspaper described the situation at the border crossing in Schaanwald, where refugees were submitted to checks before either being admitted or turned away: “From Schaanwald, the refugees are transferred to the camp in Buchs by rail ‒ or, if need be, by truck. As a result, after passing through the controls at our country’s border, refugees frequently have to wait a long time for the next train. For that reason, the Princely Building Office has erected a small holding area with barracks and seating, to make the waiting time somewhat less arduous.”

Not everyone was able to continue their journey by train or on the back of a lorry. As the Volksblatt reported, during the first wave of displaced people at the end of April 1945, many made their way to the refugee camp in Buchs on foot: “Crowds of refugees from the [Third] Reich are now also gathering at the border crossing in Schaanwald. On Wednesday evening, 30 refugees arrived in Schaan on foot, each one carrying their meagre possessions in bundles, small boxes or whatever came to hand. We could see some decently attired men and women among them, whereas the clothing of others showed what tribulations and hardships they had endured. Their careworn expressions brightened as they trudged through our land, knowing that freedom beckoned.” It was reported that another group of refugees, some 100 people, sang on their way through Schaan to Buchs, marching merrily towards freedom.

**Former inmates of Dachau crossing the border at Schaanwald on their onward journey, May 1945.** Liechtenstein National Archives, B 413/005/009, Vaduz

But it was not only women and men fleeing the Allied advance that came. The refugees also included concentration camp inmates who had survived the horrors of the camps. The newspapers reported on their lamentable appearance: “On Tuesday, 1 May, the first inmates from Dachau concentration camp arrived. Physically and mentally in a deplorable state… They huddled close together and took barely any notice of what was happening around them. Miserable beings, whose appearance bore witness to the physical and psychological torture inflicted on them by their degenerate captors.”

The reporters were amazed that the former concentration camp prisoners had been able to make it to the Liechtenstein border alive. They simply remained lying where they were put, supposedly content in the knowledge that they would not see any more Gestapo. Apparently, there were no complaints to be heard from the skeletally thin figures: “Knowing that they had escaped the hell of the concentration camp, hearing kind words and having food lovingly handed to them was all the happiness they needed.”

On 1 May 1945 alone, the Liechtenstein Red Cross registered over 1,100 refugees who crossed the border. Overall, more than 7,000 people fled to Liechtenstein from the end of April to early May. That was more than half of the country’s population of roughly 12,000 at the time.

More of: 20th / 21st century Politics War/battle

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