How many different countries could a person alive today have lived in without leaving their hometown?

score:16

Accepted answer

enter image description here

I think the Carpathian Ruthenia area (the little triangle on the "end" of Czechoslovakia after the end of WW1) gives us five bona fide separate national entities and more if pseudo-states (such as your Fiume) and other periods of loose or brief control are allowed.

up to 1918 Austria-Hungary
1918 Hungary
1918 West Ukraine
1918-1939 Czechoslovakia
1939 Carpatho-Ukraine Republic
1939-1944 Hungary
1944-1945 Czechoslovakia
1945-1991 USSR
1991 - Ukraine

I've marked in bold where nation states were recognisably exercising full sovereignty over the area. Looser claims in italics.

Memelland (now Klaipeda) in Lithuania is another possible candidate.

Upvote:1

U Sabotů, now Šance (see the map).

  • until 1918: Austria(-Hungary)
  • 1918 - 1939 Czechoslovakia
  • 1939 - 1945 Germany (Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren)
  • 1945 - 1992 Czechoslovakia
  • 1993 - 1997 Czech Republic
  • 1997 - Slovakia

Upvote:2

Cešký Těšin, the western part of Cieszyn, Silesia:

  • to 1918: Austria-Hungary
  • October 31-November 5 1918: competing Czech and Polish local administrations
  • November 5 1918- Jan 30 1919: Polish occupation
  • 1919-1920: Czech occupation
  • 1920-1938: First Czechoslovak Republic (formalized by 1920 Spa Conference)
  • 1938-1939: Second Polish Republic (Polish occupation after Munich Agreement)
  • 1939-1945: Großdeutsches Reich (i.e. annexed by Nazi Germany)
  • 1945-1992: Czechoslovakia
  • 1993-: Czech Republic/Czechia

Upvote:6

Lviv:

  1. Austria-Hungary (until 1918)
  2. Western Ukrainian National Republic
  3. Poland (1918-1939)
  4. USSR (1939-1941)
  5. Reichskommissariat Ukraine (1941-1944)
  6. Poland (1944-1946)
  7. USSR (1946-1991)
  8. Ukraine (1991-now)

This does not qualify as the most number of different countries, but probably qualifies as the most number of changes in national flag.

Upvote:20

Metohija

  1. Ottoman Empire (until 1912)
  2. Montenegro (1912-1915)
  3. Austria-Hungary (1915-1918)
  4. Serbia (1918)
  5. Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918–1929)
  6. Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941)
  7. Italian protectorate of Albania (1941-1943)
  8. Nazi Germany (1943-1944)
  9. Serbia (1944-1946)
  10. Yugoslavia (1946-1991)
  11. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia(1992-2003)
  12. Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006)
  13. Serbia (2006-2008)
  14. Kosovo (2008-

More post

Search Posts

Related post