Stiven

Stiven Lagesdad Stivens
Municipality, City
The Greethal and Amandapark in Stiven
Country	Vyvland
Province	File:Flag-sdaamro.png Stanmer
Constituency MPs	5
Government
• Body	Stiven City Council
• Mayor	Velepa Ydsen (KDC)
Population  (2012)
• Total	508,221
Demonym	Stivneer
Time zone	UTC-6
Postcode	K4000-K4999
Phone code	179 (SV)
Number plate code	(K) S
Elevation	11m
Website	www.stiven.gov.vy

Stiven (pronounced /zdiːv(ə)n/, officially Lagesdad Stivens) is a city on the north-west coast of Vyvland, in the province of Stanmer. It is the ninth-largest city in the country and second-largest in the province, behind Lyksdal, which lies seventy-five kilometres to the south. Stiven is a regional business and commercial centre, known for its leafy Baroque-style avenues and waterfront. A historically important trading port, Stiven was one of the foremost ports of the Lagian League, a late medieval confederation of trading ports across the Northern Sea. The city is located around Stiven Bay, a wide, shallow inlet, with central Stiven lying at the south of the bay and suburbs around the bay's shoreline.

Etymology

Stiven was first recorded in Old Vyvlander as Stierfæni in 851. The name is assumed to derive from roots for 'bull' - modern sdir - and 'fen' - modern ven. Thus together, the name translates from Old Vyvlander as 'bull fen'.

History

Stiven's sheltered location on a weather-beaten coast has always proven a natural advantage to settlement, causing the city to grow. Fishing remained Stiven's dominant industry until the thirteenth century, when it began to eclipse Norflaan and Pee as major ports on the shipping trade routes to Nevanmaa and Nordania due to its large, sheltered harbour. Stiven became capital of the Vyvlander Circle of the Lagian League, and was one fo the League's most important cities, along with Viirilinna, Strandhavn and Bondhaven. It thus became one of Vyvland's wealthiest towns and attracted traders from across the country and further afield.

In 1631 Stiven was ravaged by the Battle of Stiven Bay - the first battle of the Great Nordanian War - in which Nevan warships entered the bay and shelled the town, despite Vyvland and its allies' eventual win. Though the Lagian Legaue disbanded in the late seventeenth century, by virtue of its wealth and to compensate for its shelling by the Nevans, Stiven was ambitiously redeveloped around a system of avenues and parks. During this period, many of the city's major landmarks, such as the gold-domed Greethal, were built. The city core remains almost entirely built in this distinctive Stivener architecture to this day.

Demographics

The Vjaar Stave Church (Wurz Sdaavjerj), still operated by the Vjaarlandic Catholic Church, is a tourist attraction in the Vjaar Quarter

Stiven is predominantly inhabited by Vyvlanders, although due to its port and historic sea links, it also has large populations of those with at least some immigrant background. The first of these immigrants arrived as merchants and traders from north and west of Vyvland, each settling in distinct quarters of the city which bear a small resemblance to each group's land of origin. The best-preserved of these is the Vjaar Quarter to the south of the city centre, which contains many timber buildings including a stave church built in 1514.

More recently, the city has become a focal point for Black Nevan immigrants, many of whom are or are descended from refugees fleeing persecution in Nevanmaa over the twentieth century. The massive influx of around 40,000 of such immigrants to the city has created considerable strain on some suburbs of the city and on some public services, particularly in less affluent areas where these refugees settle. The annual Expellee Commemoration Day parade takes place in Stiven each January.

Transport

Stiven station, the city's main station, is accessible easily from Lyksdal, Byzvild, Mafiy and Vlud by road and rail; the city serves as an important transport node. The city's airport, which serves a few international and domestic routes, is located at Pijre to the city centre's southwest.

Within the city, public transport is mainly catered for by buses, local trains and the city's tram system. In addition small passenger ferries run into central Stiven from suburbs across Stiven Bay, and across the neck of the bay itself. Stiven's local public transport system is unusual within Vyvland as it is primarily controlled by private companies, the largest of which is the Stivner Transportvrobendeng (STV), rather than the municipal government.

Government

Stiven City Council has historically leaned more towards the centre-right Christian Democratic and Conservative Party (KDC) than the councils of many other large Vyvlander cities, although this loyalty to the Conservatives has shrunk in recent years as Stiven's population has become more ethnically mixed, younger and more connected to Lyksdal. Since the 2011 local elections, KDC (the council's largest party) has been in a minority governing coalition with the Capitalist-Libertarian Party, while the mayor is the KDC's Velepa Ydsen. Of the city's five constituency members of the Vyvlander Parliament, four represent KDC and one the Liberal Party.

International relations

Stiven is twinned with the fellow Lagian League city of Viirilinna, Nevanmaa.