We'll leave the light on for you!

February 8, 2003 2:20 PM

The principality of Liechtenstein has thought of an innovative way of rasing tourism revenue: Rent the whole country! Liechtenstein, established by the Holy Roman Empire in 1719 and sovereign since 1806, is among the smallest nations on the planet. It boasts a population around 33,000 living in a nation around 0.9 times the size of Washington DC. Check out the Liechtensteinian homepage. (in German)
posted by elwoodwiles (11 comments total)

raising tourism revenue.....
Sorry folks.
posted by elwoodwiles at 2:23 PM on February 8, 2003

Couldn't Bill Gates just buy the nation outright and run his corporation from there?

I always envision a "Doctor Doom" style finish for him...
posted by grum@work at 2:41 PM on February 8, 2003

OK, so let's say I'm the head of Lockheed Martin, and I rent Liechtenstein. After the rental period, they ask me to leave, and I say "no, sorry". The monarchy is gently nudged out the door. What are the Liechtensteiners going to do about it?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 3:28 PM on February 8, 2003

I have to say, that's more cleavage than you usually see on the homepage of a nation-state.
posted by Zonker at 3:30 PM on February 8, 2003

Zonker -- good point under top links "hot or not" .. and then this national page
posted by stbalbach at 4:02 PM on February 8, 2003

Gee, maybe we could rent the principality for a MeFi meet-up...that would be a party. Miguel, can you run over and check that out?
posted by madamjujujive at 5:24 PM on February 8, 2003

This isn't a new idea. Big corporations have been renting the United States and its government for years. To the highest bidder go the spoils...
posted by camworld at 5:44 PM on February 8, 2003

Customers will get tailor-made programs that put their brand on display and involve local officials -- but not the monarch Prince Hans Adam -- in special events.

The prince is the monarch? Maybe if they called him a "King" it would put to rest all those small-country jokes. Then Hans Adam could inflict some royal whoop ass on the Lichtenstein-bashers.
posted by PrinceValium at 1:02 AM on February 9, 2003

Pretty_Generic: I suppose Liechtenstein has some police, who would just throw your CEO ass out of the country. And if you tried to take the country with some sort of military force, you'd have to first find a way to get those soldiers into the country. Even if you would succeed in that, with say parachutes or something, you're puny mercenaries would just get their asses kicked by the Swiss Army. (Which by the way is under the control of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, the English page is old, ugly and outdated, though)
posted by lazy-ville at 4:53 AM on February 9, 2003

I think they should abandon real estate schemes and concentrate on reality TV possibilities. Kind of like the Osbournes, only in German...
posted by subpixel at 7:04 AM on February 9, 2003

Exactly how do all those women fit into the rental agreement? /sexism
posted by Dick Paris at 10:00 AM on February 9, 2003