# What single place has been part of most different countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065 "2014-01-17T15:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/41 "2014-01-18T16:03:49Z")
Romney, West Virginia bounced back and forth between the Union and the Confederacy a bunch of times; _Ripley’s Believe It Or Not_ claimed it switched hands 53 times, although Wikipedia says it’s closer to 10. Still, that’s only two countries (although France and England had claims to the region prior to 1800). The Spratly Islands are claimed, wholly or in part, by six countries at present: Brunei, People’s Republic of China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Eliminating the 1800 rule, Tashkent has been part of the Kangju Confederacy, Sogdians, Turkics, China, Persia, Kara-Khanid, Russia, Mongol Khanate, Kokhand, Soviet Union and Uzbekistan in its recorded history. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/42 "2014-01-18T21:03:41Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > Between the second, and the last, decades of the 20th century – much chopping-and-changing between “owners”: a total of six of same, some of them more than once. Clearly, I can’t count – that should have been “five”, not “six”. As at today, a centenarian lifelong inhabitant of Vilnius would have lived under five different flags, some of them for more than one spell. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/43 "2014-01-20T19:50:43Z")
Some more contenders… Lviv to 1918 : Austria-Hungary 1918-19: Western Ukraine 1919-39: Poland 1939-41: USSR 1941-44: ‘General Government’ (Nazi occupation) 1944-91: USSR 1991- : Ukraine Sarajevo to 1908 : Officially part of the Ottoman Empire; occupied by Austria-Hungary 1908-18: Formally annexed by Austria-Hungary 1918-41: Yugoslavia 1941-45: Independent State of Croatia (Nazi German puppet state) 1945-91: Yugoslavia 1991- : Bosnia & Herzegovinia Plavje to 1920: Austria-Hungary 1920-45: Italy 1945-54: Free Territory of Trieste, Zone A 1954-91: Yugoslavia 1991- : Slovenia ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/44 "2014-01-20T21:41:03Z")
Pre-1900, a long-lived Vermonter would’ve led an interesting life: - subject of the British king until 1776 - citizen of either New Hampshire or New York, which both claimed the territory - citizen of the Republic of New Connecticut, for just six months in 1777 - citizen of the Republic of Vermont, which lasted from 1777-1791 - citizen of the United States, after statehood in 1791 ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/45 "2014-01-20T23:01:02Z")
> [@42fish](#): > > Some more contenders… > > Lviv > to 1918 : Austria-Hungary > 1918-19: Western Ukraine > 1919-39: Poland > 1939-41: USSR > 1941-44: ‘General Government’ (Nazi occupation) > 1944-91: USSR > 1991- : Ukraine Thanks for mentioning [Lvov](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lvov)! My grandfather was born there in 1901 or 1902 and he considered himself Austrian. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/46 "2014-01-20T23:06:36Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > What about the residence of the Pope? It hasn’t changed much in the past 200 years. Up to 1870: Papal states. 1870-1929: Italy 1929-present: Vatican City ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/47 "2014-01-21T01:05:53Z")
Would Castel Gandolfo or Avignon give you a better answer? ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/48 "2014-01-21T10:55:52Z")
Ljubljana to 1919: Austria-Hungary 1919: State of SHS 1919-41: Kingdom of SHS/ Kingdom of Yugoslavia (renamed after coup d’etat in 1928) 1941-43: Italy 1993-45: Germany 1945-91: SFR Yugoslavia 1991 - now: Slovenia ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/49 "2014-01-21T16:41:02Z")
> [@yo\_han\_go](#): > > …1993-45: Germany… I knew those damn Nazis would invent time travel sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/50 "2014-01-21T17:15:43Z")
> [@yo\_han\_go](#): > > Ljubljana > to 1919: Austria-Hungary > 1919: State of SHS > 1919-41: Kingdom of SHS/ Kingdom of Yugoslavia (renamed after coup d’etat in 1928) > 1941-43: Italy > 1993-45: Germany > 1945-91: SFR Yugoslavia > 1991 - now: Slovenia I didn’t know that Ljubljana was subsumed by Italy. According to the wiki page on Ljubljana the Germans just occupied Ljubljana and didn’t officially incorporate it into the German state. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/51 "2014-01-21T20:39:12Z")
Jolly good times yes and a bit hazy too. Italians were there and fully annexed that area. Germans of course didn’t travel the time, it was my typo. But they were there at that time and they did not have any more time this late in war to monkey around with detailed bureaucracy. Just another occupied territory. OTOH, couple of northern suburbs were attached directly to Germany and not Italy. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/52 "2014-01-21T21:34:38Z")
> [@yo\_han\_go](#): > > Ljubljana > to 1919: Austria-Hungary > 1919: State of SHS > 1919-41: Kingdom of SHS/ Kingdom of Yugoslavia (renamed after coup d’etat in 1928) > 1941-43: Italy > 1993-45: Germany > 1945-91: SFR Yugoslavia > 1991 - now: Slovenia Which territory did the Neue Slowenische Kunst claim? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/53 "2014-01-21T22:26:54Z")
Still in dispute. Might be 10 cm above Europe, on the dark side of the Moon, 1 m above Europa or 0,1 mm deep in another dimension. ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065/54 "2014-01-23T20:21:16Z")
Part of **Estonia** should be right up there. 1= prior to 13th century independent and uncentralized 2= 13th century part conquered by Denmark, part by the Teutonic Knights 3 = 14th century Denmark sold its part to the TN 4 = 15th or 16th or 17th century became part of (I think) Russian Empire 5 = 16th or 17th century ceded by (I think) Russia to Sweden 6 = 18th century ceded by Sweden back to Russia 7 = 20th century independent for the first time in about 700 years after WW1 8 = 20th century annexed by USSR during WW2 9 = 20th century occupied by Germany during WW2 10 = 20th century reoccupied/annexed by USSR during WW2 11 = 20th century independent after breakup of USSR [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-place-has-been-part-of-most-different-countries/679065.md?page=2)