http://atlasobscura.com/place/nimis Nimis in Ladonia Micro-nation based around a nine-story high illegally built tower In the far southwest corner of Sweden, in a nature preserve a few kilometers northwest of the town of Arild, on a rocky beach reachable only via boat or a strenuous 30- to 45-minute hike, is the nation of Ladonia. You will know when you are in the nation Ladonia, because it is marked by two monumental creative works: Nimis and Arx. Created by artist Lars Vilks, Nimis (Latin for "too much") is a maze-like wooden artwork made of 70 tons of driftwood and nails and culminating in a teetering, nine-story wooden tower. Arx (Latin for "fortress") is a stone and concrete sculpture resembling a melting sand castle. Nimis, the first of the two sculptures was begun in 1980 and went unnoticed by authorities for 2 years until 1982, when they declared it would have to be destroyed. As a means of outmaneuvering the Swedish authorities, even while Nimis was scheduled for destruction, Lars sold it to the artist Cristo. The legal document of the sale is a piece of driftwood, once a piece of the artwork itself, on display at the Swedish Museum of Sketches. Another means of avoiding government interference (or perhaps tauntingly inviting it) was for Vilks to declare the area an independent nation. The nation of Ladonia, occupying essentially only the area around the sculptures, was declared in 1996 and has already had its share of national incidents. War was declared on Ladonia by the satirical "Armed Coalition Forces of the Internets." Ladonia also claims a "population" of over 15,000, though no one resides on the site as "all of its citizens are nomads." Unfortunately, this was not entirely clear in the online application form, and some 3000 Pakistanis, confused by the micro-nation's website, applied for immigrant status. They were granted it, as anyone who applies is given citizenship. However, as the Pakistanis began asking about Ladonia's embassy and the details of how to get there, it became clear that actually moving to Ladonia was not a possibility. ============ Images for Ladonia https://www.google.com/search?q=ladonia&rlz=1C1CHYD_enUS578US579&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVkZa7w8vKAhVV9WMKHaH2CDcQsAQIOQ&biw=1719&bih=948 ================ Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladonia_(micronation) ================ Official website http://www.ladonia.org/ In 1980, construction began on the giant driftwood sculpture, Nimis, on the shores of the Kullaberg peninsula in southern Sweden. After more than a decade of legal battles to protect the artworks on the shore, the authorities capitulated and on 2 June 1996, the micronation of Ladonia was proclaimed independent from Sweden. Now, with more than 17.000 citizens from 100+ countries around the world, Ladonia prospers and develops, creating its own way into boundless freedom. Ancient History/Creation Myth There was a legend of a garden in the very far west where the dragon Ladon guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, apples that gave immortality. The myths tell us that Ladon was eventually slain by Hercules, and thus immortality was placed in the world and that event introduced tension between mortal and immortal time. Recent History Ladonia was proclaimed independent on the 2nd of June, 1996, by Lars Vilks. Vilks had been working for many years (since 1980) with sculptures in wood (Nimis) and concrete (Arx) at the Kullaberg Nature Reserve in the south of Sweden. The Swedish authorities spent more than a decade trying to force the sculptures to be taken down or destroyed. See our Timeline In 1996, most of the legal battles had been resolved one way or another, and the sculptures still stood. So Vilks concluded that he had achieved a permanent occupation of the land and de facto control thereof, and he proclaimed Ladonia as a sovereign country with a surface of 1 square km and made himself Chancellor of Ladonia together with a government of ministers. In 1997, when the number of citizens had grown to more than 1,000, elections were held. Ladonia became a Republican Monarchy with a president, Fernando Rodrigues (1997–2004) living in Brazil and a queen, Ywonne I (1997–2011) living in Sweden. At the last census in 2015, Ladonia had more than 17,000 registered citizens and more than 100 ministries. Fun Facts and National Symbols The National Anthem of Ladonia is the sound of throwing a stone into water. The Ladonian language consists of two words: “waaaall” and “˙p”. The currency is Örtug, 1 Örtug is around 10 Swedish Krona or 1 Euro. Ladonia has its own timezone (LST – Ladonia Standard Time) which is UTC/GMT +0:57 (Three minutes slower than neighboring Sweden) The Constitution of Ladonia explicitly excludes men from the throne. There has not been, nor will ever be, a King of Ladonia. Only Queens. See National Symbols & Currency for additional information. Election for president takes place every third year. In 2014, at the last census, Ladonia had more than 17,000 registered citizens. The current President is Christopher Matheoss, living in France. The monarch is HM The Queen Carolyn, living in the USA. See Ladonian Government for additional information about the government, elected officials and ministries. See The Monarchy for information on the Queen, the Royal Family, and the Nobility. ================ Slate web site http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/02/18/ladonia_in_sweden_is_a_micronation_built_around_nimis_a_driftwood_sculpture.html Ladonia: An Illegally Created Nation Where Creativity Rules Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world's hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook, Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter @atlasobscura. On a rocky shore in Sweden's southwest sits a pile of sticks that created a nation. Nimis, a mountainous, multi-towered sculpture made of 70 tons of driftwood planks, is the work of artist Lars Vilks. In 1980, Vilks began building Nimis in secret. Far from civilization and only fully visible from the water, it went unnoticed by Swedish authorities for two years. When they discovered it, they declared it would have to be destroyed. (The land is part of a nature reserve, where it is forbidden to build structures.) Goaded, Vilks ignored the announcement and decided to take control of the area and secede from Sweden. The micronation of Ladonia was born. Today, Ladonia claims to have a citizenship of over 17,000 people, all of whom reside outside its borders in accordance with the nation's nomadic lifestyle policy. The Ladonian flag is green, with a faint white outline of the nordic cross — a design chosen because it is what the blue-and-yellow Swedish flag would look like if it were boiled. Taxes are payable, but money is not accepted. Instead, citizens must contribute some of their creativity. The citizenship application process caused confusion among 3,000 Pakistanis who applied for immigrant status with the intent to live in Ladonia, only to be told it was not possible to move there. Tourists are welcome to visit, however, and encouraged to participate in the local sport of stone racing. For this activity you simply choose a large stone by the shore, and then, in the words of Ladonia's Ministry of Art and Jump, "kick back and relax to wait and see if their stone makes a breakneck journey across the Ladonian shore down to the waterline." The winner is the person whose stone travels the farthest. The ministry describes the race as "fairly slow." ================== Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ladoniagov/ ================ When On Earth web site Ladonia – a Work of Art That Became a Nation Dr. Lars Vilks is a Swedish artist who taught himself how to paint and sculpt. In a grand artistic maneuver in 1980, he sculpted a giant, tower-like sculpture made of 75 tons of driftwood, which he called Nimis (Latin for “too much”). As a companion, about a decade later he also built Arx (Latin for “fortress), a sculpture made of stone. Nimis lived in peace for two full years due to the inaccessible nature of the Kullaberg nature reserve in southern Sweden, where it was built. When local authorities finally found it, they ordered it to be removed, as it imposed upon the nature reserve. Once Arx was constructed, it received the same order of removal. After a lengthy court battle, Vilks did what any rational person would do in protest. He declared independence from Sweden in 1996, calling the square kilometer that surrounds the sculptures the Royal Republic of Ladonia, or just Ladonia. Because Sweden has not recognized Ladonia’s independence, nor has any other country for that matter, it is classified as a micronation. A micronation claims to be a legitimate, independently functioning nation or state, but is not recognized as such by any other world government or official international organization. Some micronations attempt to bolster their legitimacy by creating their own flags, currency, and passports. They sustain that they are a sovereign body over some territory, despite the lack of official recognition.