Free Pristinian Federation

Free Pristinian Federation Freier Pristinischer Bund (de) Frêjer Pristeenischer Bond (ksh) Saorcoṁcruın Uḃınıg (prs)

National Flag (Symbols)
Anthems: State: Do you hear the people sing? National: O du wunderschönes Land am Rhein (German: Oh you beautiful land at the Rhine) Popular: Hejmôtsleed (Ripuarian: Song of Home) Party: The Internationale
Motto: Für Freiheit, Volk und Vaterland German: For Freedom, People and Fatherland
Capital	Redkirk

Official languages	German, Ripuarian, Pristinian, 4 others unofficial

Denomyn	Pristinian

Government	One-party state
–President	Sebastian Linden (provisional)
–Vice President	Helen Linden
–General Secretary	Sebastian Linden

Established
– Foundation of the nation	April 22, 2008
– Re-establishment	April 8, 2013

Area claimed	pending survey

Population	12

Currency	1 Mark (ℳ) = 200 Heller (ℎ)

Time zone	CT (UTC+0:30), CST (UTC+1:30)

Country code	prs, pr

Internet TDL	.prs(main)

Drives on the	Right

Date formats	Gregorian calendar dd/mm/yyyyy

National instrument	bagpipe
National drink	Kölsch beer
National animal	squirrel
National sport	cycling
National flower	cornflower

Pristinia [IPA: /pʰɹ̠ɨ̆sˈtiːnijɘ/ or /pɹɨˠsˈtiːnʝɘ/], officially known as the Free Pristinian Federation (German: Freier Pristinischer Bund, Ripuarian: Frejer Pristeenischer Bond, Pristinian: Saorcoṁcruın Uḃınıg) is a territorial micronation located in Central Europe. It is a federalist one-party state embracing the ideas of socialism, civil libertarianism and enlightened absolutism. Pristinia strives to revive the culture of the Rhineland, both recent and ancient, which was destroyed due to Bismarckian cultural assimilation and "prussification" efforts after the unification of Germany.

As a nation, Pristinia has existed since 2008, first as an Empire, followed by a Federated Commonwealth, part of a (fraudulent) Socialist Union with Nemkhavia. After this came a long period of hiatus for the Pristinian nation, though it was to be restored in October 2010 under the name of the previously also fraudulent nation of Eleytheria, under which name it existed until June 2011, when it became part of the Nemkhav Federation in form of the Kingdom of Pristinia. On December 17, 2011, it re-seceded from the Federation, forming the Free Pristinian Republic. It was disestablished in the summer of 2012 in light of the rejection of its application to the St.Charlian Commonwealth, and later refounded in April 2013.

Pristinia's culture is based mainly on that of the Rhineland, with elements of British and Italian culture, and of course unique cultural elements, also being very prominent. Its political culture is aimed at the idea of direct democracy with a nevertheless strong executive that also has legislative and limited judicative powers, which arose from the monarchist mindset Pristinia had adhered to for such a long period of time. As such, the Pristinian government, which is currently being drafted out in the Constitution expected to be finished and ratified by the beginning of February, has a system of checks and balances which allows for a strong executive to exist in the nation without risking oppression of the people by a possibly tyrannical President.

Pristinia's accomplishments in the intermicronational community included the founding of the Inter-Micronational Union, a short-lived organisation which failed due to the inactivity of its members. Also, Pristinia was the perpetrator of the Germanophony, which is a still-active cultural and linguistic society. Since its retraction from Nemkhavia, Pristinia has changed its views on non-specific, UN-like intermicronational organisations such as the Grand Unified Micronational, and now considers it part of its foreign policy to join only specific intermicronational organisations, like geopolitical, economical or cultural organisations.

Etymology

Pristinia comes from the Latin adjective pristinus meaning "unspoiled, still with its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied". It was chosen in 2008 by then-Emperor Sebastian Linden to represent the nation's ambitions in terms of culture (unspoiled), society (unsullied) and government (uncorrupted).

An alternative name for Pristinia is Rhenish Country (German: Rheinisches Land, Ripuarian: Rhejnesch Land, Pristinian: Tır no Rínne, French: Pays-Rhénan, Spanish: País Renano), referring to the nation's strong identification with the River Rhine and ideological claim to be the legitimate nation of the Rhineland (see also: Rhenish Republic).

Other names and nicknames include "Land at the Rhine", "Land of the Chevron", "Ubia" and "Great Chambria".

History

Prehistory

The precursors to Pristinia was a tongue-in-cheek pretend nation called the "Chambrian Realm" (German: Zimmerisches Reich). Its citizens were Playmobil figurines and the nation was led as a sort of infantile roleplay by a young Sebastian Linden and various friends. The exact time this nation began is uncertain; the official claim of 2004 has no more hard evidence backing it than the most extremely early claim of 2001. However, the fact that it became inactive sometime in 2005 is undisputed.

First Empire (2008-9)

Linden's first interest in micronationalism proper appeared when he was randomly browsing Wikipedia one day and looked at small nations such as Andorra, Monaco and San Marino. Somehow, he found the Wikipedia article on micronations and promptly decided to form his own, claiming the same territory as he had for the Chambrian realm. Thus, on April 22, 2008, the Empire of Pristinia was born.

From October 2008 to September 2009 the nation went relatively inactive, due to lack of citizen participation and personal issues faced by the then-Emperor, Sebastian Linden. When it resumed activity, the community had undergone vast changes, such as the involvement of Erusia, the founding of the Grand Unified Micronational. It quickly entered a dispute with Sandus, known as the Pristinian-Sandum War, or Insola War. This quickly angered Robert Lethler, at the time firmly in control of MicroWiki, leading to Linden's first ban and another crisis for the Empire.

Government and politics

Culture

Media

Pristinia has a very rich media landscape. The best-known publication in Pristinia is the state-owned Pristinian Herald, an online newspaper in the English language supplying both the English-speaking minority within Pristinia as well as the intermicronational community with information related to Pristinia, its surroundings and some intermicronational affairs, such as elections in influential micronations (e.g. St.Charlie, New Europe and Francisville). In Pristinia, according to a government-run survey it is the most-read online publication followed by the Francillian, the The St.Charlian Observer and the Renasian Locus.

There are two other text publications in Pristinia, distributed on a per-issue basis free of charge to Pristinian citizens and residents of Rudno Canton in Francisville; however, it is also accessible to foreigners on request against a charge of 120 Pristinian Heller (currently equivalent to about €1.98) per issue. Note that this may be – and often is – waived by the Albertus Magnus Verlags-UGaA, the company that owns these publications. The two publications, both mainly German-language with some Ripuarian articles, are the Weiherland-Kurier (German: Weyrland Courier) and the Pioniermagazin (German: Pioneer Magazine). The Weiherland-Kurier is issued every quarter (3 months) and contains articles on Pristinian, Francillian and intermicronational matters as well as some macronational matters local to the greater Cologne area. The other publication, the Pioniermagazin, is a magazine detailing cultural events in and around Pristinia and Rudno issued every 6 months. Topics of the latter include cuisine, culture, outdoor activities, trip locations in the vincinity and some humour in forms of comics and jokes. The Albertus Magnus Verlags-UGaA has stated that it plans to create an online, English language version of the Pioniermagazin in the future.

As opposed to print media, other multimedia outlets like television and radio are rather scarce in the Free Pristinian Republic. The state-owned Telemedia Pristinien GöB operates Radio Pristinien 1, an online channel broadcasting news, speeches and any other relevant audio in various languages apart from music, while Radio Pristinien 2, an offline station broadcasting only in the GNCR Metropolitan Area, broadcasts various music. Telemedia Pristinien also operates Freies Pristinisches Nationalfernsehen (German: Free Pristinian National Television), the state media outlet broadcasting various government-related news, speeches et al in various languages.

By the end of 2012, Telemedia Pristinien is planning to broadcast 168 hours worth of German and English content (consequently subtitled in the respectively other language) on FPN with either a daily or weekly news show detailing micro- and macronational events either in German with English subtitles or vice versa - the decision as to which of the two options it will be will be determined by an internal survey.

Holidays

Static

January 1: First New Year's Day
January 2: Second New Year's Day
January 6: Epiphany
January 7: Gap Day
January 8: Norton Day
January 27: Nazi Victim Remembrance Day
February 1: February Day
February 29: Holiday
March 1: March Day
April 1: April Day
April 22: Pristinia Day
May 1: Labour Day
May 25: Geek Pride Day
June 1: June Day
June 5: Allied Atrocities Memorial Day
July 1: July Day
August 1: August Day
September 1: September Day
September 2: National Day of German and Rhenish Heritage and Pride
October 1: October Day
October 26: Topin Wagglegammon
October 31: All Saints' Eve
November 1: All Saints' Day
December 6: St. Nicholas Day
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas Day
December 26: Boxing Day
December 27–30: Gap Days
December 31: New Year's Eve

Variable

Rose Monday: 48 Days before Easter Sunday.
Violet Tuesday: 47 Days before Easter Sunday.
Ash Wednesday: 46 Days before Easter Sunday.
Maundy Thursday: Thursday preceding Easter Sunday.
Good Friday: Friday preceding Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday: First Sunday after the full moon following the northern hemisphere's vernal equinox.
Easter Monday: Day after Easter Sunday.

Geography

Economy

Foreign affairs