Free, independent and strictly neutral City of Cracow (so called Republic of Cracow) which appeared in 1815 and survived until 1846, made up a peculiar type of statehood. Despite being a subject of international law it was not considered to be a fully sovereign entity since, from the very beginning it was “in the care” of three protective Courts (of Russia, Austria and Prussia). The scope of this “care” determined the boundaries within which the Three Powers’ intervention in Free City’s internal affairs was admissible.

It is against this background that there may appear a question, often formulated in research on international law: what type of statehood did the Free City Cracow represent? Can one speak of the “state” in its case at all. There may be raised arguments that it was rather the territory that was subject to no one’ sovereignty but functioning under international protection. In other words, there may be formulated the question: is it possible to point to other entities that would resemble that of Free City Cracow.