About Ladonia

The true story about the fight for immortality, independence and freedom

Ancient History

Painting of the Garden of the Hesperides

“The Garden of the Hesperides,” Edward Burne-Jones, 1869-73

Time was probably set in motion when the dragon Ladon was watching the golden apples of the Hesperides, apples that gave immortality. They were guarded in vain by Ladon as he probably was killed by Hercules. Thus immortality was placed in the world and introducing the tense between mortal and immortal time.

In the north we find a place, the tiny country of Ladonia, situated at the edge of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In the old days it was a kingdom, ruled by King Ladon, still guarding the golden apples. All of this is lost. The disastrous moment when time was set in motion and place made to a spot on earth give us the remains: ruins of the kingdom and the garden overgrown with weeds, the apple tree growing wild.

Recent History

Ladonia was founded by Lars Vilks in 1996, the 2nd of June. 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. He had met violent opposition from the Swedish authorities. See our Timeline

In 1996, he considered that he had reached the position of a permanent occupation of a part of Sweden. Ladonia was thus proclaimed as a country with a surface of 1 square km and Vilks 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. Ladonia’s government consists of more than 100 ministers from all over the world.

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 “ÿp”.
The currency is Örtug, 1 Örtug is around 10 Swedish Krona or 1 Euro.

See National Symbols & Currency for additional information.

Election for president takes place every third year.
In 2011, Ladonia has almost 16,000 registered citizens.
The current President is A Pair of Shoes, living in Sweden.
The Queen is Carolyn I, living in 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.