The Liechtenstein Red Cross (German: '), or LRK, is the national Red Cross society for

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

. It conducts humanitarian aid in cooperation with the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

. The LRK was formed on 30 April 1945 under the initiative of

Princess Gina of Liechtenstein Georgina Norberta Jane Marie Antonie Raphaela von Wilczek (24 October 1921 – 18 October 1989) was Princess of Liechtenstein from 1943 to 1989 as the wife of Prince Franz Joseph II. She was the mother of Prince Hans-Adam II and was widely kno ...

due to the number of war refugees in Liechtenstein following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 Countess Marie Aglaë Bonaventura Theresia Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (14 April 1940 – 21 August 2021) was Princess of Liechtenstein from 13 November 1989 until her death in 2021 as the wife of Prince Hans-Adam II. By birth, she was a mem ...

until 2015, and since then by Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein.

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

, where it provided soup kitchens and bathing services for them near

Schaanwald Schaanwald is a village in Liechtenstein, located in the municipality of Mauren. History Prior to the establishment of the village, the Roman Empire had a presence here. Villas from that period have been excavated at Schaanwald. Geography The vi ...

, while calling the population of Liechtenstein to donate towards aiding the refugees. Most notably, it cared for soldiers of the pro-

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

First Russian National Army The 1st Russian National Army was a Russian Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, pro-Axis army under Boris Smyslovsky, a Russian-Finnish aristocrat and former Tsarist military officer, during World War II. History Origins Before 1945 ...

when they took refuge in the country near the end of the war. It also provided assistance in neighbouring

Allied-occupied Austria Austria was occupied by the Allies of World War II, Allies and declared independence from Nazi Germany on 27 April 1945 (confirmed by the Berlin Declaration (1945), Berlin Declaration for Germany on 5 June 1945), as a result of the Vienna offen ...

and was later expanded to domestic coverage. 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 Triesen (; dialectal: ''Tresa'') is the third largest municipality in Liechtenstein. It contains several historic churches dating from the fifteenth century. It also has a weaving mill from 1863 that is considered a historical monument. The popu ...

, which was later moved to

Schaan Schaan (; dialectal: ''Schaa'') is the largest Municipalities of Liechtenstein, municipality of Liechtenstein by population. It is located to the north of Vaduz, the capital, in the central part of the country. it has a population of 6,039, ma ...

in 1965. The organisation has offered blood donations since 1953 and has operated rescue services since 1972. The organisation has also come out in support of greater action to combat

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. The provision of foreign humanitarian aid and refugee assistance conducted by the LRK has included the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

, the

1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The in ...

, the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and after the

Revolutions of 1989 The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Communist state, Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts ...

, in which the LRK also conducted its own initiatives in Eastern Europe through the use of private contacts. It has also included aid to refugees of the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

and the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. It has provided assistance to people effected by the

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbai ...

External links

References

{{Red_Cross_Red_Crescent Movement Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies Organizations established in 1945 Organizations based in Vaduz Medical and health organizations based in Liechtenstein

Operations

External links

See also

References