The Principality of Liechtenstein is situated in Central Europe between Switzerland in the west and Austria in the east. Liechtensteiner cuisine is influenced by its neighbors' cuisines, the large variety of cheese dishes and the main ingredients of a local dish is cheese, meat and vegetables.
Liechtenstein has a temperate, alpine climate, with warm, wet summers and mild winters. Average temperatures range from -1°C in January to 21°C in July. The average annual precipitation is about 1,000 mm, and is quite evenly distributed over the entire year. The climate is often modified by a warm, dry southerly wind (known locally as the Föhn).
Over the past few years Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, has become more and more the center of the whole region, and houses not just the Parliament but has been the residence of the Prince since 1938. Vaduz was first mentioned in documents in 1150.