A Warsaw-based ophthalmologist named Ludovic Lazarz Zamenhof crafted a system of communication intended to become a universal second language: Esperanto.
Born in 1887, Esperanto has since become the world’s most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language.
Crafted by Mr Zamenhof in the hope it would foster peace and international understanding and it is nearly impossible to know how many people speak this language today.
Annual reference publication Ethnologue previously suggested the number of Esperanto speakers worldwide could be near two million.
On the other hand, Finnish linguist Jouko Lindstedt, an expert on native-born Esperanto speakers, believes there are around 1,000 people globally with this language as their native family language.
While he suggested some 100,000 can use Esperanto actively, he believes one million understand a large amount of it passively, while a whopping 10 million may have studied it to some extent at some point in their lives.
The concentration of speakers is highest in Europe, East Asia, and South America, although no country has yet officially adopted this constructed language.
The name Esperanto-land, or Esperantujo in the language, is given to the collection of places where Esperanto is spoken.
In 1908, a small principality between Belgium and Germany called Neutral Moresnet decided to adopt Esperanto. While the small territory embraced the new language and started calling the state Amikejo, or “friendship-place” in Esperanto, the existence of the principality came to an end in 1920, after it was ravaged during World War I.
Today, Esperanto has seen a resurgence in users thanks to the internet, which makes it easier for people who either want to learn the language or have already adopted it to find fellow speakers.
Among its most famous speakers is Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, whose father was a devotee of the language.
Moreover, one small town called Herzberg am Harz in Germany counting some 12,000 residents decided in 2006 to become an “Esperanto-urbo” and adopt the language.
Herzberg am Harz, which in Esperanto is Hercbergo-ĉe-Harco, is located in the Göttingen district of Lower Saxony, Germany.
The decision to adopt this special language was partially to make the town known to the world.
At the time, the town’s website claimed Herzberg had been contacted by cities from various parts of the world to congratulate it on its decision.
Herzberg has also become home to a centre promoting the international auxiliary language, the Interkultura Centro Herzberg.
While Herzberg is believed to have been the only Esperantujo town currently existing, there are other areas where the language is adopted natively – including Białystok, the birthplace of Mr Zamenhof, and the Château de Grésillon in France.
