August 1984: Kugelmugel in the Vienna Prater, Austria. What started as an art installation ended in a wild legal battle.Image: www.imago-images.de
Their own passports, their own stamps, their own flag: there is a republic in the middle of Vienna that is not recognized – and yet fascinates a lot of people.
June 21, 2026, 04:56June 21, 2026, 04:56
Lena Treichel / t-online
Anyone who walks through the Vienna Prater expects to find rides and tourist attractions. But behind a fence there is also a place that many people don’t know: the Republic of Kugelmugel.
At first glance it looks like a normal art installation. In fact, its founder Edwin Lipburger declared the site an independent state more than 40 years ago. The “Republic” received its own flag, identification documents and stamps. It was never internationally recognized.
Republic of Kugelmugel: A dispute between authorities becomes a “republic” with a passport and flag.Image: www.imago-images.de
A dispute between authorities becomes a “state”
The story begins in the 1970s. The Austrian artist Lipburger built an unusual house in Lower Austria: a large wooden ball. Because there were no permits, he came into conflict with the authorities. Years of legal disputes followed. In 1982 the structure called Kugelmugel was moved to the Vienna Prater.
Lipburger responded in his own way. In 1984 he declared his property to be the independent Republic of Kugelmugel and questioned the jurisdiction of the Austrian authorities.
What initially seemed like a joke took on concrete forms. Lipburger designed state symbols, had stamps printed and issued his own ID cards. The Austrian authorities did not recognize the republic. The dispute even led to a prison sentence for the artist at times.
When is a state a state?
The story raises a fundamental question: What constitutes a state?
According to classical international law, this includes a national territory, a population and a functioning state authority. In practice, recognition by other states also plays a crucial role.
Republic of Kugelmugel is a micronation in Vienna’s Prater founded in 1976 by the Austrian artist Edwin Lipburger. The starting point was a spherical residential and art object that was moved to its current location in 1982 after a legal dispute with the authorities. The Republic sees itself as an artistic and socially critical project. Linda Driver has been “State President” since 2023.
Image: www.imago-images.de
This is exactly why most micronations fail. They often have flags, passports or even supporters, but are not officially recognized by any state. Kugelmugel is therefore seen less as a real state than as a political and artistic statement.
Kugelmugel is not alone with comparable projects such as Sealand in the North Sea or Molossia in Nevada. Many of these micronations want to create their own rules and evade government regulations.
Today the “Republic” is primarily a tourist attraction. The spherical house still stands in the Vienna Prater, the entrance gate still bears the inscription “Republic of Kugelmugel”.