Peter Rheinberger

Peter Rheinberger (3 January 1831 – 19 October 1893) was an engineer and captain in the Liechtenstein military. He later became a political figure and served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein. He was a member of the prominent Rheinberger family.

Early life Rheinberger was born on 3 January 1831 in Vaduz as the son of Johann Peter Rheinberger and Elisabeth Carigiet as one of eleven children, including his brother Josef Rheinberger. He attended school in Chur from 1845 to 1848, where he was taught by Peter Kaiser.

Military career In 1848 he joined the cadet school in Sigmaringen and then joined the Liechtenstein military. He was promoted to corporal on 1 January 1849 and then to lieutenant on 1 May 1849. He was involved in the military action to crush the revolution during the Baden Revolution in 1849, after which he was stationed in the garrison at Vaduz Castle. When not on military service, Rheinberger studied civil engineering in Munich from 1855 to 1856. He then proceeded to work in the office of railway construction in Chur until 1859, in which he was involved in the building of the Weesen–Schänis railway line. However, the war was unpopular among the population and faced resistance from the Landtag of Liechtenstein, as a result the Johann II promised a loan to the country and refused to have his men fight against other Germans. The military took up position on the Stilfser Joch in the south of Liechtenstein to defend the Liechtenstein/Austrian border against attacks by the Italians under Giuseppe Garibaldi. When the war ended on 22 July the military marched home to a ceremonial welcome in Vaduz. Shortly after his death in 1893, the former soldiers of the Liechtenstein army founded a veterans association, of which Andreas Walch was decided as chairman at Rheinberger's funeral. He alongside Alois Schauer conducted the first survey in Liechtenstein, which included the creation of a new land register. In 1872 he was a member of the delegation that requested for Johann to allow for casinos to be permitted in Liechtenstein, but Johann refused and instead gave an interest-free loan to build a dam on the Rhine.

He died on 19 October 1893 in Vaduz, aged 62 years old.