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Self-styled 'King of Switzerland' captures 29 acres of land for free using legal loophole
short by Medhaa Gupta / on Sunday, 3 May, 2026
Jonas Lauwiner, the self-styled 'King of Switzerland', has sparked outrage among politicians after he used a legal loophole to take over 117,000 square metres (nearly 29 acres) of land for free. The 31-year-old IT specialist crowned himself king in a symbolic ceremony in 2019. His so-called "empire" reportedly consists of 83 stretches of road, for which he charges maintenance.