Hilmar Ospelt

Hilmar Ospelt (6 May 1929 – 22 February 2020) was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1980 to 1986. He previously served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1974 to 1980 and as the mayor of Vaduz from 1972 to 1980.

Early life and career Ospelt was born on 6 May 1929 in Vaduz as the son of Hermann Ospelt and poet Ida Ospelt-Amann. From 1941 to 1949 he attended high school in the city, then from 1949 to 1952 he studied botany, physics and chemistry in the University of Basel. He participated in a study visit to Syracruse in 1957.

From 1954 to 1955 he was a teacher at the Pfister Institute in Oberägeri, then from 1955 to 1972 a teacher in the state secondary school in Vaduz. In 1956, He was a member of the committee formed to establish a state library in Liechtenstein.

Ospelt resigned both his position as both mayor and as a Landtag member on 1 July 1980 due to him being appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein under the government of Hans Brunhart, succeeding Walter Kieber. In this position, he held the ministries of youth and sport, economy, transport and justice. In the 1982 Liechtenstein general election, Ospelt was the Progressive Citizens' Party's candidate for prime minister. He was succeeded by Herbert Wille on 2 February 1986.

In 1991, Ospelt once again ran for mayor of Vaduz, though was unsuccessful. He was the chairman of the board of directors of the Liechtenstein gas supply from 1985 to 1997. He was the president of the Switzerland-Liechtenstein society from 1992 to 1994 and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Liechtenstein from 1988. From 1990 he was an honorary member of the Turkish association in Liechtenstein. He is buried in the cemetery in Vaduz. His great-nephew, Florian Meier, has also been the mayor of Vaduz since 2024.

Honours Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria (1984) Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein (1981)