On the 31st of July the sculpture Nimis by Lars Vilks had it’s 30 year anniversary. The sculpture was raised in 1980 in a remote nature reserve in the south of Sweden, together with another sculpture Arx, causing a war with the local authorities that also should have it’s own 30 year anniversary in about two years.
The battle over the creations survival in the nature reserve resulted in Vilks proclaiming the area a micronation in 1996, and he named it Ladonia. The existence of the nation has either been accepted by the surrounding countries (Sweden) or (more likely) been ignored, because it currently has a population of 15 000 Ladonian citizens and its own “newspaper”, the New Herald. The tax system is based on contributing creativity and citizenship is free. One can however become a nobility for 12$.
According to a short article about the anniversary in the Swedish newspaper DN, the sculpture Nimis has, by estimate by Vilks, 40 000 visitors every year.