Working with Cultural Sustainability in Liechtenstein

The exhibition "Constructive Alps. Sustainable Renovation and Building in the Alps" was shown at the LandesMuseum, starting on 5 October 2013.

Aspects of the renovation of the Biedermann House/Farmhouse Museum: The translocation of the house was conducted in the spirit of the medieval construction method with the existing material. Parts had to be replaced in some cases, and old material was also used. Old techniques and crafts were integrated into this project: clay mortar, drywall, moss, and lichen for insulation. This can be well understood by watching the film about the moving of the house, which is shown in the Biedermannhaus/Farmhouse Museum or during regular guided tours. A guided tour of the Farmhouse Museum in Schellenberg during the Liechtenstein visit of the project group was particularly interesting, especially regarding the materials used. This resulted in interesting discussions about the most suitable materials for renovations.

“Bringing Liechtenstein’s cultural assets back to life in a sustainable way" is the self-confessed credo of a newly established foundation (“Pepi Frommelt Foundation Triesen,” 2021).

Does Liechtenstein have its own culture, its own cultural assets? These questions were frequently raised in connection with the national identity discussion a few years ago. And of course, the answer is yes, Liechtenstein has its very own cultural roots, declares the Pepi Frommelt Foundation. Thus, for example in folk music, the origins go back to the year 1830.

But what does sustainability mean in the context of cultural creation according to the foundation? These are the topics addressed by Clarissa and Stefan Frommelt as founders in memory of their father Josef "Pepi" Frommelt (1935 - 2019). This aims to continue his life's work as a musician, music educator, conductor, and composer, pioneer and long-time director of the Liechtenstein Music School and the International Master Classes Vaduz. He was also a pioneer of professional Liechtenstein research and reprocessing of Liechtenstein dance and folk music. Based on the music collection of Pepi Frommelt the Foundation is dedicated to the promotion of the past, present, and future generations in and from Liechtenstein. It does this by commissioning compositions and arrangements and by professionally recording and publishing these works.

“Building bridges between tradition and the future in the spirit of Pepi Frommelt's legacy,” the foundation is dedicated on the one hand to preserve traditional values and genuine Liechtenstein cultural assets; on the other hand to revive them and to give them new life. In short: “the promotion of a musical, sustainable bridge between tradition and the future. Because culture should have an effect, enliven, and inspire across generations.”