Inside Liberland, the Balkan micronation becoming the first country to be built in the metaverse

What do a strip of abandoned land, a former Czech politician, and virtual reality (VR) have in common? The answer is the self-declared Balkan micronation of Liberland.

First founded in 2015, it’s poised to further its ambitions of statehood with the development of a brand new metaverse.

Liberland will be the first country to be built and inhabited in the virtual world first in anticipation of its realisation in real life.

What’s more, world-renowned architectural firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, has been working on a vision for a virtual city that will provide a home for the swelling ranks of the country’s citizens.

Although it isn’t a formally recognised country, Liberland has 7,000 approved residents with 700,000 more applications for citizenship being processed.

Wedged between Serbia and Croatia, the 7 km2 territory - which is larger than Vatican City or Monaco - is disputed land and claimed by neither country.

Liberland has been steadily growing its international reputation since its foundation by former Czech MP - and the micronation’s current president - Vit Jedlička and his partner Jana Markovicova.

Prior to 2015, libertarian Jedlička had worked in his home country to create what he envisioned as a new society that was not hampered by the trappings of the old. Despite huge efforts, he encountered too many barriers.

"At that point, I realised it might be easier to start a new country than change an existing one," he told Euronews Next.

Once, this radical and inspiring thought took hold, the couple literally turned to Google to search for land that might serve their purpose.

The result was a sliver of forgotten land on the west bank of the Danube and so a new nation, the Free Republic of Liberland, was born.

Since the breakup of