1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,519 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 2: Guess what Mango? 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:13,399 Speaker 1: What's that Will? 5 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 2: So I was thinking about the Olympics this week. I 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 2: don't know why I was thinking about the Olympics this week, 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 2: because they're not coming up anytime soon, but I was, 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 2: and was thinking about how strange it must be for 9 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 2: those countries where there's only one athlete participating in the Games. 10 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 2: I mean strange, but also super cool if you're that athlete, Like, 11 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 2: it's kind of crazy to be the sole representative of 12 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 2: a place in the world's largest stage, Like, have you 13 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 2: thought about that before? 14 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: I mean, I have, being from Delaware. 15 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 2: Life, that's a good point. That's a good point. 16 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: Sometimes you end up being the sole representative. But I 17 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: imagine it's kind of a big point of pride for 18 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: those folks, right, Like, as I view were is always 19 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: so fun for me to see what sport those countries 20 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: have qualified in. 21 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 2: Absolutely And you know, I was looking at the twenty 22 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 2: twenty four Summer Games and there were four countries with 23 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 2: just one athlete, you had belize, which was kind of 24 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 2: surprising to me. I actually thought they would have had 25 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 2: more there Somalia, NHRU, and Liechtenstein, and of those four, 26 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 2: Somalia is the only one whose national population is above 27 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 2: half a million people. But of course Somalia has also 28 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 2: been embroiled in a civil war since the late nineteen eighties, 29 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 2: which might explain why a nation of nineteen million would 30 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: still only be able to send one athlete. In fact, 31 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 2: it's remarkable that even one athlete was sent, given everything 32 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 2: that's gone on there. 33 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: I know, you think about how intense the training and 34 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: dedication has to be to get to the Olympics for 35 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: like a stable country, so like it's insane, But I 36 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: also imagine that there's a ton of pressure, right, Like 37 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: everyone in the country is tuning in to watch you, 38 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: so if you have a bad showing, there's no chance 39 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: of being lost in the shuffle. 40 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 2: That's exactly right. In fact, I read this interview with 41 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 2: the BBC that they did with Liechtenstein's lone competitor. It's 42 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 2: a twenty year old cyclist named Romano Penton, and when 43 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 2: asked about the outpouring of support he'd received on social media, 44 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 2: Pinener said, it felt like I got a message from 45 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 2: every person living in Liechtenstein for me. It feels like 46 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 2: one big town, which is, you know, pretty sweet and 47 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 2: pretty cool at the same time. Now, spoilers in case 48 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 2: you taped the Olympic Center, still waiting to watch. But 49 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 2: Liechtenstein plays twenty eight out of thirty six in cross 50 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: country cycling, so all those well wishes didn't exactly translate 51 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 2: to Olympic victory. But here's the thing. Liechtenstein has won 52 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 2: ten Olympic medals in the past. All of them were 53 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: at the Winter Games, all of them were for the 54 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 2: sport of alpine skiing, and that means the country actually 55 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 2: has the highest number of Olympic medals per capita in 56 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 2: the history of the Winter Games. It's like one medal 57 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 2: for every four thousand people. That's not a bad ratio. 58 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: First of all, it is amazing the idea that anyone 59 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: would have taped the Olympics and is still waiting to 60 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: watch it. 61 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, well you never know it's good. 62 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 1: But that is an incredible fact. 63 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it made me realize just how many 64 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 2: countries there are out there that I still know virtually 65 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,799 Speaker 2: nothing about. So that's why we're here today today's episode. 66 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 2: I thought we could chip away at that list by 67 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 2: taking a closer look at Pentener's big hometown. 68 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, I know you and I have asked Gabe to 69 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,839 Speaker 1: pick a spot in the world and send us there. 70 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: And Lichtensigin is a place that I've just been curious 71 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: about for a while now. Like, I know it's a 72 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: tax haven, I know it's tiny, but beyond that, like, 73 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: I really don't know anything about it. I even had 74 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: no idea that they'd taken part in the Olympics. 75 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, same here, and you know, you know, it may 76 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 2: be a tiny country, but there's still a ton of 77 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 2: interesting facts to share about it, including one about their teeth. 78 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 2: How about that for a teaser. So pack your bags 79 00:03:47,720 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 2: and let's take a trip to Lichtenstein. Hey, their podcast listeners, 80 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 2: Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as 81 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,799 Speaker 2: always I'm joined by my good friend mangesh Hot Ticketer 82 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 2: and on the other side of that soundproof glass engrossed 83 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: in a biography of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. That is 84 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 2: our friend and producer Dylan Fagan that kid loves to read. Now, 85 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 2: I'm so sorry, Dylan. I know there was a miscommunication 86 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 2: about this week's topic. Unless Roy Lichtenstein wasn't from Lichtenstein. 87 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 2: Was he Mango? 88 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: No, I think he's from Manhattan, And also his name 89 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: is spelled differently. 90 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 2: Well, in all fairness to Dylan, I also left out 91 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 2: the extra e a few times this week. Lichtenstein is 92 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: said to be one of the most misspelled countries in 93 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 2: the world, right up there with Columbia and Kyrgyzstan. Of course, 94 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 2: watching the name is such a common mistake that souvenir 95 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 2: shops and Lichtenstein cell magnets with a crossed out list 96 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 2: of all the various misspellers, which is a helpful way 97 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 2: to remind tourists of the correct spelling while subtly shaming 98 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:10,840 Speaker 2: them at the same time. I kind of like it. 99 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, misspelling the name is just one of the 100 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: many ways that outsiders might embarrass themselves while talking about Lichtenstein. 101 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: So to help spare listeners that grim fate, I thought 102 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: we should run through some of the basics to start with. So, 103 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: Lichtenstein is a small alpine country. It's sandwich between Switzerland 104 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 1: and south and west and Austria in the east and north. 105 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: Its total area spans just sixty two square miles. That 106 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: makes it roughly the same size as Washington, DC, but 107 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: with only a fraction of the city's population. There are 108 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: only about forty thousand Lichtensteiners compared to seven hundred thousand Washingtonians, 109 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: and that's because roughly two thirds of Liechtenstein is mountainous. 110 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: The Austrin Alps are to the east and the Swiss 111 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:57,799 Speaker 1: Alps are to the west, so most of the population 112 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: is actually clustered in this thin strip of flat land 113 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: that runs down the western edge of the country, which 114 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: makes it feel even smaller. And since the plains are 115 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: wider and lower up north, that's where most people tend 116 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,239 Speaker 1: to live, either in Vaduts, which is the country's capital, 117 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: or right next door in Sean, which is the country's 118 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:19,559 Speaker 1: most populous city. 119 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm starting to see why Romano punt in Earth, 120 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 2: you know, thinks of it as one big town, like 121 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 2: we were saying. 122 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: Yeah. But that said, there are nine other municipalities between 123 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: those two cities, and it seems like there are some 124 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: clear distinctions between them. For example, even though German is 125 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: the official language of Lichtenstein, there are roughly a dozen 126 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: different dialects spoken throughout the country, and while you or 127 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: I would have a tough time spawing the difference. Someone 128 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: with a well trained ear could actually hear which part 129 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: of the country someone comes from just by hearing them talk. 130 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 2: It's pretty amazing to have that much variety crammed into 131 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 2: such a small space. I mean, sixty two square miles. 132 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 2: That's got to be one of the smallest countries on Earth, right, yeah, yeah. 133 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: Weirdly, it's the sixth smallest worldwide and the fourth smallest 134 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: in Europe. It's also the second least visited country on 135 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: the continent, just behind Moldova. It only has about eighty 136 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: thousand tourists visiting each year, which is all. 137 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 2: The more reason for us to go Mango. We're going 138 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: to feel so special when we do it. But I 139 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 2: did read a little bit about the country's tourism, and 140 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 2: it seems like most of the visitors are day trippers, 141 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 2: like people who are vacationing in Switzerland but pop over 142 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 2: for a bus tour to grab some souvenirs, get a 143 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 2: stamp for their passport and all of that. 144 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it's kind of a shame they only visit 145 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: for the day because most people only stop off in 146 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: the capital city, Vadutz and Vedus is like the political 147 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: and business center, but it doesn't really give you a 148 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: feel for the culture. That said, it only takes about 149 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: six hours to walk the entire length of the country, 150 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: so there's really no excuse not to explore more of it. 151 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, and the country really tries to encourage that. You know, 152 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 2: for instance, they have these signs posted all over that 153 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 2: list a bunch of destinations with corresponding times anyway from 154 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 2: thirty minutes to three hours. And although the signs don't 155 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 2: specify it, they're actually walking times. Like that's how small 156 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 2: this country is. It really does make me want to 157 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 2: go there. 158 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: I was gonna ask what the travel situation is, like, 159 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: I mean, you mentioned there are tour buses from Switzerland, 160 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: but can you fly to Lichtenstein or get there some 161 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: other way? 162 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 2: Not really, I mean, the country doesn't have an airport 163 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 2: and getting there by boat would be a truly incredible 164 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 2: feat because Lichtenstein is actually one of two doubly landlocked 165 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 2: countries in the world, the other one being Uzbekistan. So 166 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 2: not only is Lichtenstein itself landlocked, there are actually two 167 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 2: countries that border it. You've got Austria and Switzerland. 168 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: It's funny, I actually knew that Uzbekistan was one of 169 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: the doubly landlocked countries because Joe Piazza's son is obsessed 170 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 1: with geography and he was quizzing MEO, that's pretty like 171 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 1: an idiot, because this eight year old knows which country's 172 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: a double landlocked. 173 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 2: And I didn't, but it's hilarious. 174 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: I didn't know that Lichtenstein was the other, so I 175 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: guess there's only one way to get in, right, it's weel's. 176 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 2: Wheel or feet. I mean, there's a footbridge at the 177 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 2: southern border that leads right into Switzerland. And since the 178 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 2: two countries have a customs union, they don't even have 179 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 2: border guards there. And if you decide to drive instead, 180 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 2: that's just as easy. Because Lichtenstein only has one major road. 181 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 2: It runs the length of the country and it kind 182 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 2: of has the best name. It's called Landstrass or country road. 183 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: Well, roads aren't the only thing Liechtenstein has in short supply. 184 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: It also has just one hospital for the entire country, 185 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: and it doesn't even include a maternity ward. Apparently the 186 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: government's plan to modernize the ward had stalled out, so 187 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: all the obgyns on staff walked out at the same 188 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: time and it just never reopened. This was back in 189 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: twenty fourteen, which means that for the last decade, hundreds 190 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: of pregnant residents actually have to cross the border each 191 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: year to give birth, either in Switzerland or in Austria. 192 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 2: I mean, that's nuts, right, yeah, it is. It is bizarre. 193 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 2: I mean, I guess it's just a few hundred babies 194 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 2: each year, but still that's wild. Basically, have a generation 195 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 2: of quote native Liechtensteiners who weren't actually born in the 196 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 2: country is pretty interesting to think about. But it also 197 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 2: feels like the type of thing that a government would 198 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 2: want to fix asap, don't you think. 199 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: I mean, since the country's so small and because of 200 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,200 Speaker 1: its open border with Switzerland, people really don't see it 201 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: as that much of an inconvenience. So even though there 202 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: are some plans to open a new maternity ward in 203 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: the not so distant future, it doesn't seem that much 204 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:27,559 Speaker 1: of a top priority. 205 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,079 Speaker 2: Well, to put that in perspective just a little bit, 206 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 2: I looked up whether they have a McDonald's in Liechtenstein, 207 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 2: and like, that's really the judge of how big a 208 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 2: country is, but it's how pretty much. I vet all 209 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 2: the places that I visit, and it turned out they 210 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 2: have exactly one location over in ved D's and so 211 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 2: currently Liechtenstein is a nation with one McDonald's and zero 212 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 2: maternity wards. So they've they've got their priorities. 213 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 1: In the worries. Yeah. Completely. 214 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 2: You know, another surprising thing about Lichtenstein is that it's 215 00:10:56,679 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 2: the last country in Europe to grant women the right 216 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 2: to vote. 217 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: It feels like, with Austria and Switzerland right around it, 218 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,760 Speaker 1: it almost seems like such a strange thing. It feels 219 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: like it would be more progressive. 220 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 2: So how long ago was this You're going to be 221 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 2: surprised by this. It was nineteen eighty four. 222 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:16,200 Speaker 1: It's just design. 223 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is. The country didn't hold a national 224 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:23,679 Speaker 2: referendum on women's suffrage until nineteen eighty four, and even 225 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 2: then it was only narrowly approved by the all male 226 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 2: voting public. 227 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: I honestly had no idea. That's crazy. 228 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting because you know, when you hear a 229 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 2: fact like that, you might assume that Lichtenstein is sort 230 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,440 Speaker 2: of down on its luck, but the country's per capita 231 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 2: income is actually one of the highest in the world. 232 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 2: It's around one hundred and eighty seven thousand dollars a 233 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,439 Speaker 2: year as of twenty twenty two. Now, according to the 234 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 2: CIA's World fact Book, the country's national debt is zero dollars. 235 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: Wow. I mean, it's so bizarre to think that a 236 00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: country that small could generate that level of wealth and 237 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,959 Speaker 1: not oh a single penny to any foreign power. How 238 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: does that happen? You know? 239 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 2: It comes down to a few things, as I was 240 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 2: looking into this, So for starters, the population is small, 241 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 2: which means the government doesn't have to spend much on 242 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 2: social programs or infrastructure. And because Liechtenstein doesn't have a 243 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 2: standing army, its military budget is virtually non existent. I Meanwhile, 244 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 2: the labor force participation is exceptionally high. It's at about 245 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 2: seventy one percent, while the country's unemployment rate routinely hovers 246 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 2: around just two percent, and it's fewer than one thousand people. 247 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 1: You know. 248 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 2: Plus, Lichtenstein's workforce is a money saver in its own right. 249 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 2: That's because a whopping fifty one percent of its workers 250 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 2: are actually foreign commuters who cross the border daily from Austria, 251 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 2: from Germany and of course Switzerland. So for reference, Liechtenstein's 252 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 2: workforce in twenty twenty two was a little over forty 253 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 2: two thousand people, which is twenty five hundred more than 254 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 2: its population. And because half of those workers live in 255 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 2: different countries, Liechtenstein is able to benefit from their labor 256 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 2: without having to cover their social program expenses like unemployment 257 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 2: or social security. 258 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: That is a crazy setup and obviously it's not scalable 259 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: to bigger countries. I'm curious though, like where are those 260 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: commuters working? Because I always see Lichtenstein labeled as a 261 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: tax haven. So I imagine it has to do something with 262 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:19,439 Speaker 1: a financial sector, right. 263 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,079 Speaker 2: Yeah, about seventeen percent of the total workforces either in banking, 264 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 2: wealth management, insurance, trust services, things in that category, and 265 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 2: taken all together, they contribute a little over twenty percent 266 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 2: of the nation's GDP. As for Lichtenstein's reputation as a 267 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 2: tax haven, that's because the country makes it super easy 268 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 2: to incorporate a business and also imposes extremely low business taxes. 269 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 2: It's a maximum of twenty percent, and so that allows 270 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 2: foreign businesses to save money by nominally setting up shop 271 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,240 Speaker 2: in Lichtenstein, when in reality, all they've done is register 272 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 2: a letterbox at a post office. 273 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: Yeah. I know that trick because I'm from Delaware, but uh, 274 00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: that's right. Basically, companies save a bundle in taxes they'd 275 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: owe in their home countries, and what little they do 276 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 1: pay is basically free money for Licktenstein. 277 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 2: Right, So we're at two Delaware mentions so far. Let's 278 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 2: see how many we can we can get in. No, 279 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,960 Speaker 2: but you're exactly right. I mean, it's basically free money 280 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 2: for Lichtenstein, and that loophole is so appealing that the 281 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 2: country's letterbox companies outnumber its human inhabitants nearly two to one. 282 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 2: And so, as you might imagine, other countries haven't been 283 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 2: too thrilled with that arrangement, and some have criticized Lichtenstein 284 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 2: for a troubling lack of transparency and its financial institutions. 285 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 2: But to the nation's credit, it has taken measures to 286 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 2: address those concerns. In more recent years. You know, they've 287 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 2: been signing transparency agreements with other countries and trying to 288 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 2: avoid tax disputes with them. 289 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's interesting. Okay, So before we move on from economics, 290 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: we should at least mention Lichtenstein's other booming industry, which 291 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: is false teeth. 292 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 2: That's right. I know, I teased that at the top here, 293 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 2: which is what kept everybody in the episode. But did 294 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 2: you look into this with respect to the economy. 295 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, so, Liechtenstein actually has a thriving manufacturing sector, and 296 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: because his population is so small, the vast majority of 297 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: his production is exported. So some of its chief commodities 298 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: include small power tools. They make a lot of ceramics. 299 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: They also make a lot of sausage casings, which I'm 300 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: surprised to read about. But the country's leading export by 301 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: far is cosmetic dentistry products and false teeth in particular. 302 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 2: I do love that they don't have a hospital for women, 303 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 2: but they've got more false teeth than anybody can handle. 304 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. So get this. The Ivaclar Vivident Company in Sean 305 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: manufactures sixty million artificial teeth each year, accounting for twenty 306 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: percent of all the false teeth sold worldwide. The company 307 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: produces the teeth in more than ten thousand different shades 308 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: and sizes, and according to Business Standard, they're especially popular 309 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: in India, where Bollywood dentists use the teeth to give 310 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: their patients whiter smiles for the big screen. 311 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 2: All right, so I've pulled out the calculator here because 312 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 2: this is just wild. Sixty million teeth annually divided by 313 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 2: a population of forty thousand, that comes out to fifteen 314 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 2: hundred false teeth for every Lichtensteiner. That's pretty amazing. 315 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's too many teeth. 316 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: It's definitely too many teeth. Well, now that we've covered 317 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 2: the basics of Liechtenstein's geography, the number of McDonald's and 318 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 2: false teeth per capita, what do you say we look 319 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 2: at how this high income sliver of a country got 320 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 2: started in the first place. 321 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's definitely a story we're telling. But before we 322 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: get into it, let's take a quick break. You're listening 323 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: to part time Genius and we're talking about Lichtenstein. So 324 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: will We've covered a few things that make the country 325 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: stand out from most other nations, but one of the 326 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: big things we haven't talked about yet is actually that 327 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: it is a principality, and that means that, unlike most 328 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: other sovereign monarchies in Europe, Lichtensiein's head of state is 329 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: a prince rather than a king or a queen. 330 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 2: Which is actually pretty rare these days. 331 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:14,399 Speaker 1: Right. Yeah, there are only a few others in the 332 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 1: world that still follow this arrangement. There's Andorra and Monaco, 333 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 1: and both of those are actually European micro states. 334 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,640 Speaker 2: You know, I'm guessing none of those are young nations though, right, 335 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 2: Like the idea of a principality feels like, I don't know, 336 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 2: some sort of holdover from the Middle Ages or something. 337 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 2: Maybe I'm just associating it with that. 338 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: No, it's true, these principalities are Like many kingdoms used 339 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: to be a lot more common in Europe, and particularly 340 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire, but over 341 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: time most of them lost their sovereignty and were absorbed 342 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 1: into larger territories. So you're right, these principalities were the 343 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: ones that kind of flew under the radar and managed 344 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:54,680 Speaker 1: to hang on to their independence through you know, all 345 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: these upheavals in Europe over the last few centuries. 346 00:17:57,359 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 2: All Right, so I feel like you should take us 347 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 2: back Mango, Like, how did Lichtenstein come to be? How 348 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,439 Speaker 2: did it manage to keep its autonomy despite being just 349 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 2: two doors down from Germany? 350 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, so, the Principality of Liechtenstein was formed more than 351 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: three hundred years ago during a period in European history 352 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: called the Age of Absolutism. The large countries that make 353 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,159 Speaker 1: up the continent today didn't exist yet, and instead Central 354 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: Europe was divided into this mix of kingdoms and principalities 355 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:25,880 Speaker 1: and other small states. And in practice each of these 356 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,479 Speaker 1: territories was ruled by its respective monarch or by wealthy 357 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,880 Speaker 1: local families, but on paper all of them were under 358 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: this sway of the HRI. 359 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 2: And so Lichtenstein was one of those self governing territories eventually, but. 360 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: Not at first. So one of the wealthy families that 361 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: I mentioned was the Princely House of Liechtenstein, and they 362 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,400 Speaker 1: were named for a home castle just outside of Vienna. 363 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: And in sixteen twenty, Emperor Ferdinand the Second bestowed the 364 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: rank of Imperial prints on Carl von Liechtenstein in recognition 365 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: of his family's extreme wealth and all their landholdings. Right, 366 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:04,879 Speaker 1: but the Liechtenstein standing in the Empire was kind of incomplete. 367 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: It turned out the various estates owned by the family 368 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: in Bohemia, Moraviaslesia and Austria they were actually part of 369 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:16,640 Speaker 1: the Habsburg Kingdom, and because of that they were outside 370 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: of the Emperor's jurisdiction. So this posed a problem for 371 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: the Lichtensteins because only those in possession of territory that 372 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: was in this imperial region were allowed the privilege of 373 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: representation in the legislative body, which was called the Imperial Diet. 374 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:35,120 Speaker 1: So in order to claim the full benefits and the 375 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: bragging rights of imperial princedom, the Lichtensteins would actually have 376 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 1: to get their hands on some proper imperial territory. 377 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,679 Speaker 2: So what like they raised an army and invaded the 378 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,360 Speaker 2: territory we're talking about, or what. 379 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 1: Well, that's another thing that sets Liechtenstein apart from these 380 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,199 Speaker 1: other nation states. Its territory wasn't taken by force or 381 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,439 Speaker 1: divvied up by a peace treaty. It was just purchased, 382 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: like outright purchased. And it took a while for the 383 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: House of Lichten's signed to find an area for sale 384 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: that would meet all the requirements. But in late sixteen 385 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: hundreds this opportunity finally presented itself. Down in the Alpine 386 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:12,159 Speaker 1: Rhine Valley, the Lordship of Shellenberg and the County of 387 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 1: Vaduts were facing some tough times at the time, right 388 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: like there was the plague, there was famine, there were 389 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,479 Speaker 1: witch hunts, and all of this had ravaged the region 390 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: in quick succession. It left thousands dead, and the area 391 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:29,640 Speaker 1: was actually in the steep economic decline, and so all 392 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: of this hardship was going to bankrupt the region's rulers. 393 00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 1: So in the sixteen nineties they decided to put the 394 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 1: two troubled territories up for sale. 395 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 2: And the Liechtensteins bought both of them. Like it seems 396 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 2: like one of them would have been enough to claim 397 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 2: a seat in this whatuld you call an imperial Congress 398 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:45,439 Speaker 2: or whatever. 399 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, so the house did buy just one territory at first, 400 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: the Lordship of Shellenberg in sixteen ninety nine, but that 401 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,680 Speaker 1: was deemed actually too small or insignificant to warn a 402 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: seat at the table. It took another thirteen years to 403 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:01,640 Speaker 1: work out a deal for the County of the Dutz, 404 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: but once the sale was finally complete, the family had 405 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: enough territory to join this imperial diet. However, there were 406 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: some other internal shakeups in the power structure there and 407 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: it kind of delayed the union of these two territories 408 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: for another seven years. So it wasn't until seventeen nineteen 409 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 1: that the two parts were formally united by the emperor 410 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 1: and declared a principality. The new state's name was taken 411 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,439 Speaker 1: of course, from the ruling house of Liechtenstein, and that 412 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: actually makes it the only country named for the people 413 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 1: who bought it. 414 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 2: It's interesting, but there's so many historical things that happen, right, 415 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 2: like what happened after the Holy Roman Empire was destroyed 416 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 2: by Napoleon. How did Liechtenstein make it through in one piece? 417 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, so Lichtenstein saw the writing on the wall after 418 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: Napoleon's defeat of Austria in eighteen oh five. So the 419 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: following year, it and fifteen other states struck a deal 420 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 1: with Napoleon, agreeing to willingly withdraw from the Holy Roman 421 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: Empire in exchange for sovereignty. And that turned o to 422 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: be a very very smart move because even though Napoleon 423 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 1: was defeated just nine years later, it's that sovereignty he 424 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,680 Speaker 1: bestowed that endures to this day. 425 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 2: Can you imagine what a crazy century that must have 426 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 2: been for the people who actually live there, Like you're 427 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:17,240 Speaker 2: just minding your business over in veduts and trying not 428 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 2: to catch the plague or get accused of witchcraft, and 429 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 2: then some random family from Vienna comes along and buys 430 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,120 Speaker 2: all of your land for political gain. It's just such 431 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:28,159 Speaker 2: a strange thing to imagine. Then you're grafted on to 432 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 2: separate territory or shuffled around from one empire to another, 433 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 2: and the next thing you know, you're living in a 434 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 2: new independent nation. 435 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, it's a lot of change in a 436 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: very short period, but I do think that for the 437 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,159 Speaker 1: most part, the people kind of welcomed it. Plus it 438 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: probably helped that the new royal family took a pretty 439 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:49,679 Speaker 1: hands off approach to ruling. This is so incredible to me, 440 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 1: but they allowed the inhabitants to keep the same land, 441 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 1: the rights and freedoms they'd enjoyed under the previous owners. 442 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 1: And for the first century and a half of the 443 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 1: country's existence, none of it's princes even ever set foot 444 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: in the principality. I mean, that didn't change until eighteen 445 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: forty two, when Prince Alois the Second paid the first 446 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:12,400 Speaker 1: royal visit to Lichtenstein, and the first prince to actually 447 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,920 Speaker 1: reside in the country, Franz Joseph the Second, didn't move 448 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,119 Speaker 1: there until nineteen thirty. 449 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 2: Eight, which is odd because it feels like if there's 450 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 2: no ruler there, it should be easier for another nation 451 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:24,919 Speaker 2: to expand into it. You know. 452 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, it feels like someone would have just like swept 453 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: in and taken it. But you know, Liechtenstein actually protected 454 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: itself by staying on really good terms with its closest neighbors, 455 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 1: so that's Austria and Switzerland. And there was still the 456 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: possibility that Germany might make a play for the country, 457 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:43,920 Speaker 1: but following the devastation of World War One, Lichtenstein was 458 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: viewed as just too impoverished to be worth invading. 459 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,440 Speaker 2: So being poor kept the country from being targeted, which 460 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,160 Speaker 2: I guess in turn allowed it to stay independent, build 461 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 2: up its economy, and eventually become one of the richest 462 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:56,879 Speaker 2: nations in the world. 463 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's an incredible comeback story. And this is where 464 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: lichten Sign's princes really started taking a more active role. 465 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,800 Speaker 1: So in the late nineteen sixties, the country's post war 466 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,000 Speaker 1: economy was struggling to find its footing, and at one 467 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: point things got so bleak that the royal family actually 468 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,679 Speaker 1: started selling off its art collection just to keep the 469 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: country going. For instance, they sold a portrait by Leonardo 470 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: da Vinci to the National Art Gallery in Washington, d C. 471 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: For five million dollars, and at the time that was 472 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: the most anyone had ever paid for a single painting, 473 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: but that cash infusion from the family's art sales actually 474 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: bought the country more time. And then in the nineteen seventies, 475 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: Prince Bronz Joseph the Second institute new reforms to spur 476 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: economic growth, and some of those included the corporate tax 477 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: cuts we talked about earlier. 478 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's also worth noting that the country's current 479 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 2: ruling Prince, Franz Joseph's son, Hans Adam the Second, has 480 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 2: followed in his father's footsteps by actually living in the 481 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 2: country that he rules, but that's occasionally led to some 482 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 2: friction because Lichtenstein is a constitutional monarchy rather than an 483 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 2: absolute one, so the Prince has to share his executive 484 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 2: power with an elected parliament, and they don't always see 485 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,360 Speaker 2: eyed eye on how to run things. For example, back 486 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 2: in the early two thousands, the Prince was pushing for 487 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 2: constitutional reforms that would grant him more power, most notably 488 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 2: the power to veto parliament and to appoint judges. Most 489 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 2: of the public opposed the idea at first, but as 490 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 2: the national debate intensified, the Prince signaled that he might 491 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,719 Speaker 2: just cut ties with the country altogether. If the referendum 492 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 2: didn't go his way. 493 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: So what happened then, like you just moved back to 494 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: Vienna and let the parliament run without him. 495 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:36,159 Speaker 2: I know, more like he'd sell the country, and he 496 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 2: was talking about selling it to you know, as he says, 497 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,239 Speaker 2: quote Bill Gates or anyone else who can afford it. 498 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: That feels like such a poor sport. He's not getting 499 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: his way, so he's just gonna sell off the country. 500 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: But can you even do that? 501 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 2: I'm actually not sure. I mean, the Prince was almost 502 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 2: certainly bluffing about selling the country, but he was serious 503 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 2: about possibly leaving it so that people had to vote 504 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 2: to either give up some of the their own political 505 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 2: power or risk losing their head of state. And in 506 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 2: the end, Liechtensteiner's decided not to take that chance, and 507 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 2: in two thousand and three the country voted to adopt 508 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 2: the new constitution that granted these sweeping new political powers 509 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 2: to the prince, including the right to veto parliament. 510 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: So basically, over time, the country is inching back closer 511 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,120 Speaker 1: and closer to like an absolute monarchy. 512 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think the country is now considered 513 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,320 Speaker 2: a semi constitutional monarchy, and they still have a say 514 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,159 Speaker 2: through Parliament, but they can be overruled fairly easily if 515 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 2: the Prince disagrees with them. But despite how it might sound, 516 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:37,960 Speaker 2: I do want to stress that Liechtenstein is a very 517 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,120 Speaker 2: stable country. The quality of life is high, the crime 518 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 2: rate is low, people are making money, the views are gorgeous, 519 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,920 Speaker 2: and no one's being ruled with an iron fist, you know, 520 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:49,640 Speaker 2: so people didn't want to risk a good thing. 521 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 1: Plus, you know, it's hard to rule with an iron 522 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: fist when your country doesn't have its own army. 523 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,239 Speaker 2: That's a very good point. But they did have an 524 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 2: army at one point, right, Like I read something this 525 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,200 Speaker 2: week about an army of I think it was eighty men. 526 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that's another only in Liechtenstein's story that 527 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 1: we should probably talk about. But before we do that, 528 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:35,680 Speaker 1: let's take another quick break. 529 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 2: All right, Mango. So Lichtenstein is a neutral country and 530 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 2: it doesn't keep its own standing army, but apparently that 531 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 2: wasn't always the case. So I'm turning to you. What's 532 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 2: the story here? 533 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,919 Speaker 1: Prior to the First World War, Liechtenstein's strongest ally was 534 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,679 Speaker 1: its next door neighbor, Austria, right, and that put the 535 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: tiny country in a tough spot in eighteen sixty six 536 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: when a war suddenly broke out between the Austrian Empire 537 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: and the Kingdom of Prussia. The Seven Weeks War was 538 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: a power struggle for dominance in Germany, and while Liechtenstein 539 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: aligned with Austria, the country's size kind of meant that 540 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: it couldn't help that much on the battlefield. Still, the 541 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: country felt, you know, duty bound to do something to 542 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: aid the war effort, especially once most of the northern 543 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 1: German states and the Kingdom of Italy had pledged their 544 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: support to Prussia. And so in June of eighteen sixty six, 545 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,760 Speaker 1: the Prince of Liechtenstein mobilizes the country's small military contingent, 546 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:23,439 Speaker 1: and as you said, eighty soldiers armed with rifles and 547 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: bayonets get called a. 548 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,880 Speaker 2: Service, which doesn't sound like a lot, but given how 549 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 2: few people lived there, that actually was probably a decent 550 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 2: chunk of the male population, right Yeah. 551 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: And remember these guys had never actually seen action before, 552 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: since the country had always been neutral, So the public 553 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,920 Speaker 1: was pretty shocked when these men got their marching orders 554 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 1: and when they found out the contingent was being deployed 555 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: on the Austrian side. They initially thought their ally had 556 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 1: betrayed them and that Liechtenstein was about to be invaded. 557 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 1: The resulting uproar prompted twenty six year old Prince Johann 558 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: the Second to actually make a rare visit to the 559 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: country to rea shure his subjects, and he explained that 560 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: these people were being sent to guard a strategically important 561 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: alpine pass between Austria and Italy, and that they were 562 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 1: doing it on behalf of their Austrian ally. So the 563 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: goal wasn't to prevent an Austrian invasion, it was actually 564 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:17,720 Speaker 1: to keep Italian volunteers from invading Austria. 565 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 2: And so how did that go? Were those few dozen 566 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 2: guys able to hold the line? 567 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 1: I mean technically, but that's mostly because they never actually 568 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: saw any conflict. The contingent kept watch at something called 569 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 1: the Brenner Pass for the better part of six weeks, 570 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: but the Italians never showed up, and by the time 571 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: the soldiers marched back to Liechtenstein, the war was over. 572 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 2: And that's the country's greatest military claim to fame. That's wow. Like, 573 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 2: they hung out in the Alps for over a month, 574 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 2: they fought nobody, and then they turned around and walked home. 575 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: I mean, if you put it that way, it doesn't 576 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: sound that impressive, but it was still brave of them 577 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: to march out there in the first place, and for 578 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: all they knew the Italians would be waiting to wipe 579 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: them out there. But weirdly, there actually was some controversy 580 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,560 Speaker 1: over how many sol did return to Liechtenstein. 581 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 2: Like one of them got lost in the mountains or something. 582 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 2: What happened here. 583 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: No, they didn't lose a soldier, they actually gained one. 584 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 1: So most ports it was an Austrian liaison officer who 585 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: met them at the border, but other sources describe him 586 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: as like an Italian friend. That could mean someone who 587 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 1: was actually a defector. But it's also possible that the 588 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 1: Austrian soldiers' ability to speak Italian just made some people 589 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: assume he was Italian. So again, all of this is 590 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 1: based on claims that have never been fully substantiated. And 591 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,720 Speaker 1: there's also the possibility that they just miscounted the eighty 592 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: people and there was no eighty first man. 593 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 2: Well, either way, it's nice to know that Liechtenstein made 594 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 2: it through unscathed, but that campaign pretty much ended the 595 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 2: country's military career. 596 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 1: Right. Yeah, So Austria wound up losing the war with Prussia, 597 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: and while Liechtenstein remained on good terms with Austria, it 598 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: could no longer depend on the larger nation for financial 599 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:59,719 Speaker 1: or military security. I mean, the good news is that 600 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: no one was particularly interested in fighting Liechtenstein, and all 601 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 1: the tensions in its neighboring countries have been resolved for 602 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:08,920 Speaker 1: the time being. So in light of that, and because 603 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: maintaining an army had proven both expensive and unpopular, Lichtenstein 604 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: decided to officially disband its eighty man army two years 605 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,760 Speaker 1: after the war. At the same time, the country also 606 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 1: adopted a policy of permanent neutrality, allowing Lichtenstein to focus 607 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: on growing its economy rather than its military. 608 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 2: All right, Well, that shift and focus has clearly paid 609 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 2: off for them, though I did see that Liechtensteiner's today 610 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 2: are allowed to serve in the Swiss Army if they 611 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 2: want to. 612 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:39,600 Speaker 1: Yes, Switzerland eventually took Austria's place as Lichtenstein's chief ally, 613 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: so in addition to that customs union that we talked about, 614 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:47,320 Speaker 1: they also have a mutual defense pact. But because Lichtenstein's 615 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: lack of an army would make that pretty one sided. 616 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 1: The inhabitants are encouraged to volunteer in the Swiss armed 617 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 1: Forces as a way to help protect their own country. 618 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 2: Which is pretty funny because, as far as I can tell, 619 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 2: the only nation to ever invade Liechtenstein is Switzerland. But 620 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 2: to be fair, though, that was only by accident. The 621 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,959 Speaker 2: Swiss military units often conduct training exercises along the Liechtenstein border, 622 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 2: and on a few occasions, at least three by my account, 623 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:15,760 Speaker 2: those activities have mistakenly crossed into Liechtenstein territory. The most 624 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 2: recent incident was in two thousand and seven, when one 625 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 2: hundred and seventy armed soldiers marched a full mile into 626 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,080 Speaker 2: Liechtenstein before one of the residents finally called out, hey, 627 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 2: this isn't Switzerland, at which point the soldiers turned around 628 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 2: and immediately marched back across the border. 629 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: I guess know one in Liechtenstein is too worried about 630 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: these accidental evasions. 631 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,960 Speaker 2: No, it's an honest mistake when your borderline is nothing 632 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 2: but a shallow ditch and a footbridge. And Liechtenstein's spokesman 633 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,920 Speaker 2: for the interior set as much. After the last Swiss invasion, 634 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 2: he told the press quote, it's not like they stormed 635 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 2: over here with an attack of helicopters or something. These 636 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 2: things happen, that is amazing. So I think that just 637 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 2: about wraps up our tour for the day. But we 638 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 2: do have one last stop before heading home. 639 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: I'm keeping my fingers crossed by hope it's the Vedutz McDonald's. 640 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 2: If only we were that lucky today, Manda. But I 641 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 2: was actually talking about the fact off almost as good. 642 00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:19,400 Speaker 1: Okay, so we talked about Lichten signs many lucrative exports, 643 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 1: but there's one commodity that residents actually keep all to themselves, 644 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: and that is the wine. It turns out the principalities 645 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 1: mild climate, top notched soil, and warm downslope winds make 646 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,240 Speaker 1: it one of the best wine growing regions in the 647 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 1: entire Rhine Valley. As a result, more than one hundred 648 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: different winegrowers call it home, including the nation's prints, who 649 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 1: owns about ten acres just outside the capital city, and 650 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:47,160 Speaker 1: the country's specialty is a blue burgundy. But if you 651 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:49,080 Speaker 1: want to taste it for yourself, you'll actually need to 652 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 1: make a trek over since the wine isn't sold outside 653 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 1: the country except in a handful of specialty shots in Switzerland. 654 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:58,120 Speaker 2: All right, Well, speaking of the Prince, we kind of 655 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,520 Speaker 2: picked on him today. So here's the fact that highlights 656 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:04,840 Speaker 2: his softer side. Every year, to celebrate Liechtenstein's national holiday 657 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,920 Speaker 2: on August fifteenth, the Prince opens the gates of the 658 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 2: Vaduts Castle, which is his ancestral home and the cliffs 659 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 2: overlooking Va Dudes. The day begins with state speeches on 660 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,320 Speaker 2: the castle lawn, followed by free beer in this reception 661 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 2: that happens in the Rose Garden, and then a big 662 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,840 Speaker 2: city wide party, culminating with a firework show. It sounds 663 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,760 Speaker 2: pretty awesome, but best of all, everyone in the country 664 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,040 Speaker 2: is invited to attend. You have to make a free 665 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 2: reservation for the rose Garden reception as space is limited there, 666 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 2: but those who miss out are still welcome to come 667 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:37,319 Speaker 2: party on the castle lawn. 668 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,240 Speaker 1: Oh I love that. Ain't no party like a lichten 669 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:44,759 Speaker 1: Sign Prince party. That's what they always say. So here's 670 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:47,320 Speaker 1: a weird one for you. Back in twenty ten, rapper 671 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 1: Snoop Dogg was thinking of shooting a video in Lichtenstein, 672 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:53,360 Speaker 1: and to make the process as easy as possible, his 673 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:55,880 Speaker 1: team asked if they could just run out the entire country, 674 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 1: and as wild as that sounds, it very nearly happen, 675 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:05,280 Speaker 1: and according to one property agent there, Kyle Schwarzler, he said, quote, 676 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,839 Speaker 1: it would have been possible, but Snoop Dogg's management did 677 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: not give us enough time. The funniest part, though, is 678 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 1: that the country continued toying with this idea, and the 679 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 1: very next year, Airbnb teamed up with the Liechtenstein based 680 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,359 Speaker 1: marketing firm and launched a promotion allowing companies to rent 681 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 1: out the entire country for corporate events for seventy thousand 682 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: dollars a day. This is what you would get. You 683 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:31,160 Speaker 1: get accommodations for one hundred and fifty people, customized street signs, 684 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,760 Speaker 1: a symbolic key to the country, and a private wine 685 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,920 Speaker 1: tasting with the prints himself. Weirdly, no one took him 686 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: up on the offer. 687 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:42,880 Speaker 2: I actually find that shocking. I'm not even kidding, Like 688 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 2: it feels like there would be companies that would want 689 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 2: to do that, or just. 690 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: Like one hundred and fifty rich people, right, you would. 691 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:53,359 Speaker 2: Think it doesn't require that much, But first the prince 692 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 2: wants to sell the country to Bill gates, then he 693 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,359 Speaker 2: tries to rent it out for business parties. You think 694 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,279 Speaker 2: he was hard up for cash, but in reality, Prince 695 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,600 Speaker 2: Hans Adam the Second is actually the wealthiest monarch in Europe. 696 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 2: His net worth is somewhere in the neighborhood of five 697 00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:09,760 Speaker 2: billion dollars, which for reference, is more than six times 698 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:10,760 Speaker 2: that of King Charles. 699 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:15,040 Speaker 1: Well, since Lichtenstegin has one of the highest standards of 700 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:16,799 Speaker 1: living in the world, the Prince isn't the only one 701 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,439 Speaker 1: who's rolling in it. But before you get any wild 702 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,839 Speaker 1: ideas about moving there, you should know it is a 703 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:25,360 Speaker 1: tough crowd to break into. The country issues just seventy 704 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: residency permits a year, and it takes about thirty years 705 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: to become a citizen. That said, there are two ways 706 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:33,640 Speaker 1: to speed up the process. The first is to marry 707 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:36,280 Speaker 1: a local, in which case you have to wait five years, 708 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,280 Speaker 1: and the second is to call for a community vote 709 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:41,239 Speaker 1: on whether or not you should be allowed to become 710 00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:44,480 Speaker 1: a citizen early. If the vote goes forward and enough 711 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:46,920 Speaker 1: people agree that you'd be an asset to the country, 712 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,160 Speaker 1: then the thirty year rule is suspended and you become 713 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: a Liechtensteiner. But there's one catch. You have to renounce 714 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,360 Speaker 1: your former citizenship because there are no dual loyalties allowed 715 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:57,200 Speaker 1: in Lichtenstein. 716 00:36:58,200 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 2: All right, well here's a quick one. If you should 717 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,719 Speaker 2: ever find yourself at a soccer game between Lichtenstein and 718 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 2: the UK, prepare to sit through the same song twice 719 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,760 Speaker 2: at the start of the match. And that's because Lichtenstein's 720 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 2: national anthem up above the Young Rhine, is sung to 721 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 2: the exact same melody as the UK anthem, God Save 722 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 2: the Queen, And since the versions played at the sporting 723 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,680 Speaker 2: events are always instrumental, there's really no way to tell 724 00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 2: the two anthems apart. 725 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,480 Speaker 1: I love that, And then most people likely don't know 726 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:28,960 Speaker 1: that the linchten sign anthem, so I'm guessing everyone just 727 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: thinks it's a mistake or it's on repeat. But I 728 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: feel like you should take the trophy for that one. 729 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:38,439 Speaker 2: Well, thank you very much, and for tax purposes, please 730 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 2: send it along to my po box in Lichtenstein. 731 00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 1: Of course I will, So that's gonna do it for 732 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:49,360 Speaker 1: today's part time Genius from Mary Gabe, Dylan Will and myself. 733 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoy this podcast, 734 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:54,160 Speaker 1: please share it with a friend or leave us a 735 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,560 Speaker 1: review on Apple Podcasts, or just hit us up on Insta. 736 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:00,840 Speaker 1: We're at Part Time Genius will be next week for 737 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:16,400 Speaker 1: another episode. Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope 738 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:20,200 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. This show is hosted by Will Pearson and 739 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:24,400 Speaker 1: me Mongage Heatikler and research by our good pal Mary 740 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:28,120 Speaker 1: Philip Sandy. Today's episode was engineered and produced by the 741 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:32,080 Speaker 1: wonderful Dylan Fagan with support from Tyler Klang. The show 742 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: is executive produced for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, 743 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:40,120 Speaker 1: with social media support from Sasha Gay, Trustee Dara Potts 744 00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:44,480 Speaker 1: and Vinny Shorey. For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, 745 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:48,959 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 746 00:38:49,000 --> 00:39:09,080 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.