Almost one in three people in Germany's wealthy southern state of Bavaria supports independence for the region, according to a poll released yesterday.
Thirty-two percent of respondents in a survey carried out by YouGov for the popular German daily Bild said they were in favor of an independent Bavaria, separated from the rest of Germany as well as the European Union.
Bavaria has a long history of claiming it's not really a part of Germany after it was made part of the German Reich under Otto Von Bismarck in 1871, however the calls to secede from Germany have only become louder in the years following the Second World War. The regionalist Bavaria Party has campaigned for secession since 1946. On Facebook, the party stated: "The exit of GB (Great Britain) can turn into a great chance for democracy in the EU […] This democratic decision has to be respected and any form of scaremongering is unfounded. For Bavaria the time for a referendum has come as well."
No other state in Germany has such high support for independence.
"For the EU, this maybe a necessary wake-up call to finally carry out democratic reforms. They do not want other countries to follow on the proposed referendum on United Kingdom membership of the European Union or the European peace project fails. That is the opportunity for Europe that it finally recognizes to end the over-regulation and to the important things restrict."
The southern German state with a population of 12 million pays for more half of the country's inter-State fiscal adjustment and reportedly shells out about 16 billion euros per year to the German federal government and other German States.
In 2011, 40 percent of Bavarians opted for secession, according to the Hanns-Seidel foundation.
Many foreigners' impressions of German culture - namely Lederhosen and large, frothy beers - stem from Bavaria's rich traditional heritage. The world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival takes place in the state capital of Munich.
Bavaria is Germany's largest state by land area and its second-most populous, with more than 12.8 million residents.
After Brexit, a total of 34 referendums were called by different secessionist parties across the European Union, including France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Ireland.
There are also concerns the Catalonian separatists in Spain could gain new momentum.
