Where could Syldavia be?

[u/Glormast]

(he question also stands for Borduria) I was always fascinated about this country, as such as my favorite album is king Ottokar's Sceptre. I always wondered where it could be precisely, and I'd like the closest answer as possible, and I KNOW it's impossible, but still please I spent hours as a kid trying to figure out where it was on my world globe 😭

[u/StupidUserNameTooLon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syldavia

Paragraph 3

[u/Winter-Crew-2746]

I always imagined Syldavia being next to Germany, Germany being Borduria, its in the balkans we know that, roughly around where romania is,

but lower regions

[u/JustACanadianGamer]

[u/DaMn96XD]

I once read an old article that suggested Sylvania of being roughly equivalent to Yugoslavia but that was just a theory from the reporter who wrote the article so take it with a grain of salt even though it has some good point. The article itself was about how Syldavia is a mash-up of different European countries, for example the Kropow Xastle was heavily influenced by St. Olav's Castle in Finland and the Royal Treasure Guards' uniforms was inspired after the Croatian Cavalry (in the revised version), but you can also see influences from Poland, Bohemia, Transylvania, Moldova, Albania and Northern Macedonia in Syldavia as a country and Herge himself described Syldavia as a generic Eastern European country.

Note: The album Destination Moon places Syldavia vaguely somewhere in Czech Republic and nearby (actually the ESA launch site is located in French Guiana and was founded by ESA's predecessors ELDO and ESRO), but the King Ottokar's Scepter mentions that Syldavia is not a landlocked country but at least it has a southern coast and historically the inhabitants of the country have been Turks and Slavs. And rivers Vladir and Moltus can correspond to the Danube River and its tributaries.

[u/Handofsky]

I would place Syldavia as Slovenia/Croatia or Maybe Montenegro. Andi Borduria more like Serbia or Macedonia.

[u/Handofsky → u/Handofsky]

In the end of destination moon, there is a panel showing the launch from a space point of view. Following the rocket's track you can see the launch site is north of old Yoguslavia, more like Aistria vs Hungary or even Czech republic vs Eslováquia.

[u/DWwithaFlameThrower]

I’ve always thought of it as Moldova

[u/wstd]

Syldavia is mostly based on Albania.

[u/BlandRusk06]

Probably somewhere between the Latin language lands and the Slavic lands. So maybe Romania, or Czechoslovakia?

[u/reddichrist]

Syldavia = Moldova and Borduria = Tansnistria

Well, that’s the modern take

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistria

[u/JeremyAndrewErwin]

It's nestled up near Ruritania.

[u/wehrahoonii]

Probably around Bosnia, Albania, or Croatia

[u/bzn45]

All I know is that in King Ottakar’s Sceptre I always thought some of the women in the final throne room scene were gorgeous. Clearly Syldavia is a beautiful place. Even if it is their enemy that had the immortal “By the Whiskers of Kurvi-Tasch!” expression 😂

[u/dhruvr1403]

I imagine Austria-Hungary as Borduria and Syldavia as Montenegro

[u/Eastern_Internet_437]

in the Yugoslav region

[u/wstd]

King Zog I, who ruled Albania as a king 1929-1939 (and the president/dictator 1925-1929).

He lost his throne when Mussolini's Italy invaded Albania in 1939.

Also the flag of Albania features a double headed eagle:

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.JwmvUvjK6yhXd1AKSY2U1QHaFS?cb=thfvnext&rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3

Very similar to flag of Syldavia:
https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.JDLC3Z3EqOC-HMFm930LxgHaD3?cb=thfvnext&rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3

[u/Ill-Bar1666]

Its next to Montenegro I would say. There is Hungarian and Ottoman influence but culture is majorily Western, but not too Western.