14 DAY TRIAL // 31-year-old Vít Jedlička of the Czech Republic claims to have established a brand new country in Europe, nestled between Serbia and Croatia.
This latest European country, whose exact location is revealed in the map below, is officially named the Free Republic of Liberland. Still, founder Vít Jedlička likes to refer to it simply as Liberland.
The man says he had a right to establish the new country
Vít Jedlička explains that his Free Republic of Liberland spans over a 7-square-kilometer (2.7-square-mile) area that both Serbia and Croatia failed to claim as their own.
Being essentially a no-man's land, the area sparked the interest of the 31-year-old Czech Republic politician who, this past April 13, declared it to be a new European country.
“This area along the west bank of the Danube river is not claimed by Croatia, Serbia or any other country,” reads an account of how Liberland came into being.
Furthermore, “It was therefore terra nullius, a no man’s land, until Vít Jedlička seized the opportunity and on 13 April 2015 formed a new state in this territory - Liberland.”
Whether high officials in Europe know anything about this stunt remains a mystery. What this means is that, at least for now, Liberland is merely a not-so-credible self-proclaimed state.
By his own admission, Vít Jedlička established his own country because he was sick and tired of the hardships he had to face in the Czech Republic and wanted to live someplace more enjoyable.
More precisely, the 31-year-old wanted to live in a state not preoccupied with maintaining an army and where people wouldn't have to pay taxes if they didn't want to.
The Free Republic of Liberland has a flag, even a constitution
Just like all the other countries across the globe, the newly formed Free Republic of Liberland has a flag, a coat of arms, a leader, i.e. Vít Jedlička, and even a constitution.
Mind you, it even has a motto that sums up Vít Jedlička's take on what governments hoping to live in harmony with a country's residents should or should not do: “Live and let live.”
True, an actual population is the one thing that the Free Republic of Liberland currently lacks. However, the country's leader says that some 160,000 people have so far applied for citizenship.
Vít Jedlička promises to sort through these applications and eventually settle on about 35,000 worthy guys and gals who will become Liberland's first citizens.
