On the banks of the Danube River, in the disputed border area between Croatia and Serbia, there is an unclaimed land of about 7 square kilometers - there are no cities, no roads, or even any building for long-term living. However, it has its own flag, passport, constitution, and even a "prime minister": cryptocurrency tycoon Justin Sun.
This is Liberland - a place that is seriously "building a nation", or rather, a place that is seriously trying.
From border dispute to 'free republic'
The story begins with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. After the split of Yugoslavia in 1991, several border disputes remained between Croatia and Serbia, and this land on the west bank of the Danube River is one of them. Neither country claims sovereignty over it - Croatia believes the border should be drawn along the old course of the Danube, while Serbia has yet to make a formal statement on a final border. It was this legal vacuum that gave a Czech an opportunity to take advantage of.
In 2015, Vit Jedlicka, a former financial analyst, announced the establishment of the "Free Republic of Liberland" here, serving as president, and the official language was English. He and his team usually live in Prague, and only go to this land when dealing with "national affairs" - although he himself has been blocked from entering Croatia many times by the Croatian authorities, and was even arrested and banned from entering Croatia for five years.
"Less government is better"
Liberland pursues thorough libertarianism: no mandatory taxes, community contributions are completely voluntary, and government management is fully digital. But Jedlicka’s political vision goes much deeper than that. In his vision, the more wealth a person creates for society, the greater his political voice should be.
He said: "Why does a person who contributed 20 million US dollars to the national finance have exactly the same say as a person who burned a bank and caused the same loss? The democratic system will average the opinions of the entire society. Every wise decision may be offset by another stupid decision. We just want a seven-square-kilometer land with self-government to prove our philosophy."
This logic of "the most powerful" is quite controversial in the traditional political context, but it resonates strongly with libertarians and cryptocurrency circles.
Justin Sun and the "Founding Enthusiasm" of the Currency Circle
In October 2024, cryptocurrency tycoon Justin Sun was elected as the "prime minister" of Liberland, and Liberland called him "the richest prime minister in the world." Justin Sun, the founder of the TRON blockchain, once paid $4.5 million for the opportunity to have lunch with Buffett. His joining has greatly increased Liberland’s exposure in the cryptocurrency community. Since then, Liberland announced a partnership with space startup LifeShip to send its "flag" to an asteroid.
Back on the Danube, however, the reality was completely different. Currently, the only permanent structures on the entire land are two treehouses. Journalists were closely interrogated by the Croatian authorities when entering, and filming was expressly prohibited. Liberland claims to have about 1,300 "citizens", and there are two ways to apply: pay $10,000, or exchange for qualifications through volunteer services.
"They are disappointed with reality"
Antonella from Italy is a project manager for a software company. Taxes were too high, regulations were onerous—she increasingly felt trapped. "You really get the illusion that these things belong to you, but in reality, you can't do anything." She has applied for Liberland citizenship. Two days later, she spent thousands of euros and got her Liberland passport - beautifully printed but of little practical use: no real country recognized it.
Colin Wood, a retired British man, has been living in the Serbian private camp "Ark Village" about 10 kilometers away from Liberland for two years. He proudly displayed his Liberland passport and believed that the Croatian authorities would eventually be unable to stop us: "How much more police force can the Croatian police afford to prevent us from entering?"
Every year, Liberland supporters hold the annual "Liberpulco" gathering in Ark Village. Visitors come from extremely diverse backgrounds—hippies, tech entrepreneurs, cryptocurrency investors, and even conspiracy theorists. Renowned conspiracy theorist Gareth Icke receives stardom here. Most participants were reluctant to speak to the media for fear that their words would be taken out of context.
British researcher Waseem Al-Sindi has long studied blockchain and cryptocurrency ecology. "They feel like their freedom or their sovereignty is being eroded—taxes are too high, or certain areas are overregulated. A lot of times these people are entrepreneurs looking for a regulatory arbitrage space," he said.
A logic worthy of caution
But Alcindi also pointed out that this emphasis on wealth and elite voice hides a more alarming logic: "There is a connection between the history of libertarian thought and racial science and eugenics - the belief that not all people are equal and that they are better than others. So in their view, democratic systems will lead to suboptimal results because the majority of people are not as smart as the minority."
Furthermore, he believes that some supporters are not just looking for another way of life: "They are consciously looking forward to and promoting the collapse of the existing social and national system. And their hope is based on this."
How far is there between dream and reality?
Jedlicka plans to expand diplomatic networks, advance infrastructure and even launch a stock exchange in Liberland. Former U.S. Congressman Ron Paul and Argentinian President Milai have both publicly expressed support. He said: "The ten richest people in Liberland have a combined wealth greater than the ten richest people in Croatia. This is not an illusion, it is a fact."
Croatia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterized Liberland as "a provocative act that lacks any legal basis." Roland, a retired German, is stationed here regularly, but the camp facilities have been repeatedly damaged - the shower system, water tanks, and water heaters have disappeared one after another. Jedlica believes that the saboteurs were the Croatian authorities.
Ten years later, this place still looks more like a makeshift camp. Supporters said: "Building a country cannot be accomplished overnight." "If it were that easy, everyone would have done it long ago." "First there is a dream, then there is reality."
This sentence can be either a belief or a self-comfort. As for where Liberland will go - time may be the only judge.
