Principality of Ljetzan

Principality of Ljetzan
*Fürstentum Ljetzan* (German)
Principality of Ljetzan Fürstentum Ljetzan (German)
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: "Fides mea libertas est" "My faith is freedom"
	Anthem: Gasìngach Khunikh; (English: "Royal March")
Status	Active
Capital and largest city	Ljetzan
Official languages	Italian, Cimbrian, German
Ethnic groups (2022)	90% Italians; 10% Other;
Religion (2022)	90.00% Christianity; 10.80% Unaffiliated; 0.20% Other;
Demonym(s)	Cimbrians
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Prince	Peter I
• Chancellor	Konrad von Staufen
Legislature	Landtag
Establishment
• Independence	25 July 2020
• Constitution ratified	01 July 2023
Membership	15
Currency	Ljetzan Schilling (LTS)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (CEST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.lj

Ljetzan, officially the Principality of Ljetzan, is a self-proclaimed state, commonly referred to as a micronation, located in Europe.

It claims, in the name of ancient concessions and treaties, as an integral part of its territories, the geographical areas historically belonged to the Federation of Seven Municipalities, now part of the Veneto region in the Italian Republic. Which, however, it does not currently have any official control or influence in the areas.

Although the Principality of Ljetzan meets all four requirements to be classified as a sovereign nation, however, the Principality of Ljetzan remains unrecognized by the United Nations and doesn't possess any outside recognition aside from other micronations.

Name

The name "Ljetzan", despite having various nuances, was chosen by Prince Peter Franz, who called his micronation in honor of the homonymous village of Cimbrian culture and language present in north-eastern Italy. The cultural terms are strongly influenced by the German, Cimbrian and Italian languages; the latter two are also recognized as official languages of the Principality.

The capital of the Principality, Ljetzan extending itself for the whole territory of the nation, therefore takes the same name.

History

The Seven Comuni formed into a loose commonwealth in 1310, and they were historically under the suzerainty of the Milanese House of Visconti and then under the Republic of Venice. Under both, they enjoyed wide cultural and political autonomy in exchange for their loyalty. This autonomous status came to an end with the Napoleonic Wars and the demise of the Serenìsima in 1807.

In 2020, Prince Peter intrigued by a recent cultural article, undertook a series of studies on the period of the Napoleonic Wars and subsequent treatises.

Pointing out in his subsequent claims, as in the Treaty of Campoformio, no explicit reference was made to the lands of the Seven Municipalities and spoken Cimbrian in general. It is therefore important to point out that the independence of those lands had not been in any way denied and therefore still exists.

Claiming therefore, as of Cimbrian origin itself, the legitimate sovereignty to exercise the real right on those fractions formerly belonged to the Confederation.

Therefore, on 25 July 2020, the Declaration of Independence of the Seven Municipalities in the form of a princely government was publicly announced

The Prince was appointed regent and a transitional period began, leading to the establishment of the local parliament: the Landtag, and the appointment of the office of First Minister.

The Constitution of the Principality was ratified on 1 July 2023. This event marks the official beginning of the Principality and the reign of the Prince with the imposed name of Peter I.

With the ratification of the 2023 Constitution, the results of the general elections of the principality, held on 10 and 11 June, were made valid.

Konrad von Staufen, who belonged to the majority party of the Christian Union, took office as the first Chancellor.

Politics and government

Ljetzan has a monarch as head of state and an elected parliament that enacts the law.

The reigning Prince is the Head of State and represents Ljetzan in its international relations. The Prince may veto laws adopted by parliament. The Prince may call referendums, propose new legislation, and dissolve parliament, although dissolution of parliament may be subject to a referendum.

Legislative authority is vested in the unicameral Landtag, made up of 15 members elected for a maximum of four-year terms according to a proportional representation formula.

Political parties

Since the independence of the principality, the political scene of the country has been dominated by two parties, the Christian Union of tendentially progressive positions and the Democrats, with a program oriented to working classes and its most fragile layers.

Following the 2023 elections, the Christian Union holds the majority in the Landtag, with 10 seats, while the Democrats with the remaining 5 seats represent the opposition.

The Chancellor since 1 July 2023 is Konrad von Staufen, belonging to the Christian Union party.

Logo	Name		Party Leader	Spectrum	Ideologies	Landtag
	Christian Union	CU	Torsten Neugebauer	Centre-right	Christian democracy	10 / 15
	Ljetzan Democrats	LD	Amalie Bauer	Centre-left	Social democracy	5 / 15

Law and order

The Judiciary of Ljetzan is made up of the Supreme Court (Fürstliche Oberste Gerichtshof), the Princely Superior Court (Fürstliche Obergericht), and the Princely Court (Fürstliche Landgericht).

Since its foundation, the Principality has not provided for any kind of capital punishment and is committed to following the Enlightenment principles of Cesare Beccaria.

Foreign relations

The Principality of Ljetzan pursues a foreign policy, aimed to avoid alliances that might entail military, political, or direct economic action and has been neutral from its founding. Ljetzan maintains diplomatic relations with almost all countries and has a diplomatic and mediating role with them.

The Principality of Ljetzan recognizes almost every member of the United Nations, with the exceptions of some, such as extremist regimes.

On 8 June 2024 the Landtag has ratified the membership of the principality to the UAMW, the agency for the peace and the coperation between the micronations of the world.

Military

The Ljetzan Armed Forces are mostly based in Tegetthoff Barracks" in Ljetzan. The general staff is based in the capital, the Generalstab. The army is under civilian control, with the prince as Commander-in-Chief. The Minister for Defense, Klaudia Kelsen, oversees army operations. The professional head of the army is the Chief of Defense, who answers to the minister and holds the rank of general.

Being landlocked, Ljetzan has no navy. The Ljetzan Army is a volunteer-based military force, with a current personnel count of ten. Military spending accounts for less than zero percent of state expenditures.

An autonomous corps of the military, the National Police are the gendarmerie and military police of Ljetzan, policing the military and civilian population and report to the same ministries of the Armed Forces.

Geography and climate

The principality is located at the confluence of the Revolto and Fraselle rivers, and just below the mountain Gruppo del Carega.

The climate in the principality is influenced by different geographical locations. From the north, the mountain massifs bring colder temperatures in winter. Temperatures that are mitigated and heated by the winds coming from the Adriatic Sea and the plain below. The lowlands are also often covered by thick fog, in Winter; precipitations that are from 750 to 1100 mm per year at higher altitudes.

Economy

Despite its limited natural resources, Ljetzan has developed a prosperous and highly industrialized free-enterprise economy and boasts a financial service sector as well as a living standard that compares favorably with those of the urban areas of Ljetzan's much larger European neighbors.

The Principality of Ljetzan officially uses the Schilling (lS) as its economic currency, however, despite this, the value of the Schilling is equivalent to the Euro, with 1lS being equivalent to 1 Euro. The Ljetzan Schilling (lS) despite being the national currency is not commonly used, rather many Cimbrians often opt to use the Euro as their currency.

Culture and media

Religion

According to the Constitution of Ljetzan, Catholicism is its official state religion:

"The Catholic Church is the State Church and as such shall enjoy the full protection of the State."

Ljetzan offers protection to adherents of all religions and considers the "religious interests of the people" a priority of the government.

In Ljetzan's schools, although exceptions are allowed, religious education in Catholicism or Protestantism (either Lutheran or Calvinist, or both) is legally required.

Since the establishment of the principality, it has been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices, but according to a statistic poll, 90% of Ljetzaners are Catholic, including the princely family, with the remaining 10% being Unaffiliated or with no religion.

Media and Television

As a result of its small size, Ljetzan has been strongly affected by external cultural influences, most notably those originating in the southern regions at the border with Italy.

There are two conventional broadcasting service in the country. The private channel LJTV was created in 2020 with a goal of joining the European Broadcasting Union, which it did not accomplish and has since abandoned. The Ljetzan Rundfunk ("Ljetzan Broadcast") is operated by the government's Unit for Information and Communication and carries government proceedings, public affairs programming, and cultural events.

Being surrounded by Italy, the population of the Principality of Ljetzan, receives the broadcasts of the Italian television and radio network without major problems.

Ljetzan also has one major online newspapers: the Vaterland.

Sports

Unlike most countries in Europe, sports in Ljetzan are not concentrated upon a particular national sport, but instead encompass a number of sports, both team and individual. Despite the lack of a central sporting focus, over 10 people in Ljetzan, out of a total population of 15, are licensed members of one sport federation or another.

The Ljetzan Park, situated in Unterstadt, southern Ljetzan City, is the country's national stadium and largest sports venue in the country with a capacity of 1,000 for sporting events, including football and rugby union, and 2,000 for concerts.