The Lochgass horse
The ride to punishment
The name of today's Schimmelgass in Vaduz goes back to an old legend. It tells of a greedy farmer, a mysterious horse and an eerie ride on Christmas Eve.
Today's Schimmelgass street in Vaduz used to be called Lochgass all the way up to Schlossstrasse. The name Schimmelgass goes back to this legend, according to which a miserly farmer lived there. He did not hold the property of others sacred and stole everything he could get hold of, even horses.
Once he even went on his way on Christmas Eve, December 24. Over the Rhine, he saw a saddled white horse (a "Schimmel") tied up at a church. He immediately jumped up and rode towards Lochgass street. The white horse galloped so fast towards Vaduz that his rider was terrified. When the horse reached Lochgass, the farmer thought he had already reached his destination, but the horse stopped suddenly and abruptly and the farmer fell headfirst from his horse and broke his neck. While he was still dying, he saw the white horse turn into the devil. From then on, the farmer had to ride up and down Lochgass as a white horse. The haunting only stopped when a wayside cross was erected in Lochgass.