The Republic Inside A Ball

Located in Vienna, this spherical house declared itself an independent country to avoid building permits. The tiny micronation now resides in a park, serving as a permanent art installation.

Artist Edwin Lipburger constructed this rounded structure in 1971, but authorities grew frustrated when he did not follow standard zoning laws. To escape their regulations, he proclaimed his home an autonomous republic with its own stamps and flag. The government did not take kindly to this, and he eventually faced prison time for his architectural rebellion. Today, the orb sits peacefully behind a barbed-wire fence as a quirky monument to artistic defiance.