istory of Lilliland

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

Professor Hamblin, the chief advisor to the Baron, and former professor at Cambridge University in England, was often asked to speak at various functions in Lilliland. The history of Lilliland was a favorite topic of his and of the citizens.

“Several hundred years ago,” the Professor would begin, “a group of people who were farmers, herdsmen and religious displaced monks found themselves thrown together in an unfriendly area.

“This unlikely group found themselves united against the destruction of farm land, livestock and crops as a result of war. The army from one side would trample all the crops in the fields. Then a few days later the opposing army would do the same from the other side of the field. Cows, sheep, goats and chickens were scattered all over the countryside in a frightened state. ‘This must stop,’ the group said, and they decided to move somewhere else.

“They wandered around Europe in search of a peaceful place to raise their crops and animals. They were close to the Alpine Mountains and heard rumors of a quiet area at the foot of one of the mountains in a nearby valley next to a large lake.

“They found the location in the valley and in the beautiful crystal clear lake grew a lot of water lilies. They decided to name the area Lilliland. There were also beautiful swans that swam among the lilies. The men could not believe their good fortune.

“They surveyed the area and found it to be 20 miles along the lake and 16 miles away from the base of the Alpine Mountains. It was a total of 320 square miles. “This will be our Lilliland,” the farmers, herdsmen and monks said to each other.

“A group of representatives went to purchase the land and register the purchase in the proper legal manner. A leader of the newly formed country was selected and named the Baron of Lilliland. He was a member of the Von Lodge family. He would serve in that position for his lifetime as would his ancestors.

“The monks wanted to establish a law that Lilliland would be a neutral country and would never engage in any war. Baron Von Lodge agreed and also added a law that there would be no guns in Lilliland. There would be no sports involving the use of guns. It would be illegal to own a gun.

“The wishes of the farmers, herdsmen and monks were clearly written into the constitution establishing Lilliland as an independent country. That was in the 12th century.

“Today, in 1919,” the Professor concluded, “that spirit of our ancestors and founders is still with us.”