Syldavia - Location and Inspiration

Location and Inspiration

The exact location of Syldavia is not given in the comics, and nothing more is known than that it is located in Balkan peninsula, bordering another fictional country Borduria, and that it has an access to the sea. In Destination Moon, the trail of the Syldavian-launched rocket points to a location north of the Danube. There are various inspirations for Syldavia. As Hergé noted himself the primary inspiration was Royal Montenegro, but the country's history is modeled after many Balkan countries. According to a brochure read by Tintin on his plane, Syldavia gained independence from Ottoman empire early, resembling Montenegro and Serbia. Medieval kings of Syldavia have similarities with many Balkan rulers of Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia etc. The battle of Zileheroum resembles the Battle of Kosovo and the Battle of Maritsa and rebelled nobility are similar of those who divided the Serbian empire. However Muskar I a.k.a. Hveghi may be inspired by George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, Albanian rebel and later ruler. The king's court is inspired by Montenegrin nobility. As for geography, in King Ottokar's Sceptre it is a typical Balkan country with high mountains with small towns located in plains below. Niedzdrow twin towns can be found all around Albania, northern Montenegro and southern Serbia (Sandzak region), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, south Bulgaria and so on. Syldavia has a small coastline and two known towns on it: Douma, the seaplane service harbour, and Dbrnouk, whose name might be inspired by Croatian city of Dubrovnik, although the fisherman on the brochure's photo, described as its inhabitant, is certainly Muslim typical for south Montenegrin (Ulcinj) and Albanian coast. Only the landscape around Kropow castle is more North-European, because Kropow castle is partially based on Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's) castle, in Savonlinna, Finland. In post-war stories the basic inspiration seems to be Carpathian Mountains and in Tintin and the Lake of Sharks - Macedonia. The capital Klow resembles Tirana, Sarajevo, Skopje and Podgorica. The national saint is St Vladimir and many sources claim it's Vladimir I of Kiev, but due to the Balkan likeness, the more appropriate would be Saint Jovan Vladimir, a ruler later proclaimed saint, prince of Duklja, the medieval state of Montenegro also occupying the Shkoder region in north Albania.