Liechtenstein Red Cross

Humanitarian organisation based in Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein Red Cross
Liechtensteinisches Rotes Kreuz
Logo in German
Formation	30 April 1945
Purpose	Humanitarian aid
Headquarters	Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Region	Liechtenstein
President	Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein
Parent organization	International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Website	roteskreuz.li

The Liechtenstein Red Cross (German: Liechtensteinisches Rotes Kreuz), or LRK, is the national Red Cross society for Liechtenstein. It conducts humanitarian aid in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The LRK was formed on 30 April 1945 under the initiative of Princess Gina of Liechtenstein due to the number of war refugees in Liechtenstein following the end of World War II. It was recognised as a Red Cross society on 22 June 1945 and was headed by Princess Gina until 1985, then Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau until 2015, and since then by Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein.^[1]^[2]

Operations

The LRK was initially formed to care for the 7,000 war refugees that had crossed into Liechtenstein in the closing weeks and following World War II, where it provided soup kitchens and bathing services for them near Schaanwald, while calling the population of Liechtenstein to donate towards aiding the refugees.^[1]^[3] Most notably, it cared for soldiers of the pro-Axis First Russian National Army when they took refuge in the country near the end of the war.^[4] It also provided assistance in neighbouring Allied-occupied Austria and was later expanded to domestic coverage.^[3]

Domestically, in 1946 a mother's advice centre was established, in 1948 the LRK expanded to cover family welfare until 1996 and in 1956 a children's home was opened in Triesen, which was later moved to Schaan in 1965.^[3]^[5] The organisation has offered blood donations since 1953 and has operated rescue services since 1972.^[3] The organisation has also come out in support of greater action to combat climate change.^[6]

The provision of foreign humanitarian aid and refugee assistance conducted by the LRK has included the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia,^[7] the Vietnam War and after the Revolutions of 1989, in which the LRK also conducted its own initiatives in Eastern Europe through the use of private contacts.^[3] It has also included aid to refugees of the Yugoslav Wars^[8] and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[9]^[10]

External links

Website of the Liechtenstein Red Cross

References

^ ^a ^b Wanger, Harald (31 December 2011). "Liechtenstein, Georgine (Gina) von". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 3 July 2022.
^ "Fürstin gibt Amt als Rot-Kreuz-Präsidentin ab" [The Princess Consort resigns as Red Cross President]. Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Batliner, Joachim (31 December 2011). "Liechtensteinisches Rotes Kreuz (LRK)". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^ Tolstoy, Nikolai (1977). The Secret Betrayal. Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0-684-15635-0.
^ Frick, Julia (31 December 2011). "Sozialhilfe (Fürsorge)". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^ "Liechtenstein: "Failure to act against climate change is not an option"". International Committee of the Red Cross. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^ Meier, Günther (22 August 2021). "Das Leben von Fürstin Marie von Liechtenstein war geprägt vom Einsatz für die Schwachen" [The life of Princess Consort Marie of Liechtenstein was characterized by her commitment to the weak]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Vaduz. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ Wagner, Harold (23 December 2021). "Liechtenstein, Marie Aglaë von". Historisches Lexicon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ "Regierung beschliesst Nachvollzug von Sanktionen und gibt IHZE Gelder frei". medienportal.regierung.li. 25 February 2022.
^ "Sonderseite Ukraine". Regiferung Des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 20 September 2023.