There is such a "strange" country, as long as you are willing to take out forty thousand pounds to be the king of a day, it is a small European country of Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein is located in Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland, and is another double landlocked country in the world in addition to Uzbekistan (itself and its neighbors are landlocked countries), known as the "peach blossom source on earth". Located in the Rhine Valley of the Alps, it covers an area of about 160 square kilometers, has a population of less than 40,000, belongs to a small country, has no army, and only has more than 80 police officers in the country to maintain order.
In ancient times Liechtenstein was once part of the Roman province of Rietia and later became a fief for successive Counts of Hornems. The origin of liechtenstein's name was in the early 18th century, when John, Grand Duke of Liechtenstein, from Vienna, Austria. Adam bought two estates: the Schnelleberg estate and the vaduz county, and became a member of the Holy Roman Empire. On 23 January 1719, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, merged schönelberg manor with Vaduz County to form an independent small grand duchy, given the name Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein had always maintained close ties with Austria, but during the Napoleonic Wars, it was invaded by France and Russia, and became a member of the "Rhine Alliance" under Napoleon's control. In 1806, during the reign of Napoleon, Liechtenstein officially became a sovereign state. In 1815, after Napoleon's defeat, Liechtenstein joined the "German Confederation".
Within the German Confederation, Austria and Prussia were fiercely contested, while Liechtenstein was firmly on the side of Austria. In 1866, Austria was expelled from the German Confederation after losing the Austro-Prussian War, and Liechtenstein opted for independence and withdrew from the German Confederation. There is also an interesting thing in this, the War between Prussia and Austria, Liechtenstein as a hardcore of Austria, also participated in it, because the country was small and small, only sent an army of 80 people. Their direction of operation was to face Italy, and both sides very tacitly chose to live in peace. After the return of the Liechtenstein army after the end of the war, an inventory found that there was one more person. It turned out that an Austrian officer had joined the Liechtenstein army because he was lost and brought back to china. After a big war, the losing side can also increase the number of troops, which can also be regarded as a spectacle in the history of war.
After the war, Liechtenstein not only chose independence, but also demobilized its army and declared permanent neutrality, but they still maintained very close relations with Austria. In 1919, at the end of World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (a dual empire of Austria and Hungary), Liechtenstein entrusted the country's foreign relations (defense, foreign affairs) entirely to Switzerland, forming a neutral alliance with it. In 1923, Liechtenstein and Switzerland signed a customs treaty, opening their borders and establishing a common economic zone, using a unified currency, the Swiss franc.
In 1938, Franz. Duke Joseph II came to power, becoming the country's first duke. In 1988, China established diplomatic relations with Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein joined the United Nations in 1990. In 1991, Liechtenstein joined the European Union.
Liechtenstein was originally a poor agrarian country, with most people engaged in animal husbandry and only small-scale industries such as textiles and ceramics. After World War II, it gradually developed into a developed industrial country. Industry is the backbone of the national economy, and more than 95% of industrial products are exported. Low tax policies and bank secrecy laws have promoted the development of the financial industry, but at the same time made it a "tax haven". In 1912, the country began to issue stamps, its stamps are of high quality, and it is also one of the important sources of the country's finances, contributing 10% of GDP, known as the "Stamp Kingdom".
Liechtenstein has a GDP per capita of $170,000, ranking second in the world. Therefore, although the country is small, it is a highly developed country. Why would such a rich country come up with the bizarre idea of selling the "throne"?
It turned out that they saw that the tourism industry in some neighboring countries was developing vigorously, which made Liechtenstein envious, although the scenery of their own country was equally beautiful, but the country was too small, and it only took a few hours to visit, even if tourists came, they could not stay long, and it was the place with the fewest tourists in Europe. Until one day, a man thought of a way for the state to rent out. This method also won the support of the whole nation, so in 2011 a "notice" appeared, only 40,000 pounds, anyone can be the king of Liechtenstein for a day, during the day can take the king's exclusive carriage to tour the kingdom, at night can stay in the palace, enjoy the treasure of the best wine.
Unexpectedly, after the "notice" was posted, many people came to visit, for a time this business is unusually hot, for this reason Liechtenstein and urgently modified the notice, stipulating that it must be booked half a year in advance, the minimum lease period is two days, if you want to refund the ticket must be applied for a month in advance, so that the "throne" competition is orderly.
In fact, the head of state of Liechtenstein is the Grand Duke, how to say the king, so for the sale of the "throne", Liechtensteiners do not take it seriously, and foreigners do not care whether it is a real king, but it is very satisfying to live an addiction, so this business has been doing quite well. Little Liechtenstein, with its own wisdom, escaped several wars in Europe, and was able to come up with all kinds of strange ways to create wealth, which is really admirable.