Salavsk

Salavsk Салавск Дерелох
Flag of Salavsk Flag
Capital	Salagorod
Official languages	Venadian, Derelian
Demonym(s)	Salavski
Government	Volost of the Republic of Venadia
• Governor	Yevdokim Kanov
Legislature	Regional Veche
Population
• Estimate	1.3 million

Salavsk (Venadian: Салавск, Derelian: Дерелох) is a small Volost in south-west Venadia. The volost is mountainous and hilly, and the population is spread around towns and villages in the valleys and foothills. The majority of the population is ethnically Venadian, although the native Derelian people occupy valleys in the east of the volost. The volost neighbors Proylopol Volost in the west, Reloslav in the north and Kirolozhsk in the north-east.

History

The isolated Derelian people have occupied the mountains of Salavsk since at least the 5th century BC, while slavic peoples only started migrating in the 7th century. The slavic tribes formed a series of chiefdoms along the rivers and lakes in northern Salavsk, and expanded into the valleys over the course of centuries, establishing pastorial farms. Salavsk was late in terms of Christianization among the Venadian peoples, with the christianization only having been considered complete by the 15th century.

The 13th and 14th centuries saw Salavsk subjected to punitive measures by the Roman Catholic Church, their attention in Venadia turned away from the Vesan Crusades. A significant amount of Salavsk's population growth in the 9th and 10th century is believed to have been pagan refugees from the north, and the old faiths proved remarkably long-lived compared to other parts of Venadia. Conflicts between the slavic Venadians and the isolated culture of the Derelians also marked this period, especially once the heathen Derelians were subjected to missionary activities. By the 17th century however, paganism among the slavs in Salavsk is believed to have been wiped out. This does not stop numerous Rodnovery from claiming they were trained by priests in the Salavsk mountains who have an uninterrupted religious tradition dating back to ancient times.

With the discovery of extensive silver and copper veins in Salavsk in the early 18th century, the volost developed rapidly with the establishment of several mining towns by the Venadian state. The majority of workers in the mines were not from Salavsk itself but from the north, and conflicts between Salavskians and the immigrants fueled resentment against the Venadian Republic. During the Apalkov Rebellion 1745 and 1749 the Apalkovists found many recruits among the Salavskians, and many of their leaders received shelter in the valleys once the rebellion was crushed.

Salavsk was fully connected to the rest of Venadia in the mid-to-late 19th century, with the building of tunnels and a railway line. The city of Salagorod grew around the railway line and the mining industries, becoming Salavsk's biggest (and some would say only) city.

Politics

Salavsk is considered a red district in Venadia, with substantial support for the Socialist Party both for national and local elections. Few Salavskians have achieved political prominence in Venadia itself. As a Volost, Salavsk is ruled by an elected Regional Veche and the Governor appointed by the Venadian Prime Minister. Local administrative divisions are referred to as Dolina (valleys) in the highlands, including areas spanning the mountains, while in the lowlands they are referred to as Mirs similar to the Venadian heartland. The city of Salagorod is administered as a Gorod.

2013 Election

Party	Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/-
Socialist Party	245,111	51.1%	35	3
Liberal-Republican	118,702	24.8%	16	3
Unity Party	50,724	10.6%	7	2
Derelian Union	33,266	6.9%	5
Communist Party	9,946	2.1%	1	1
Apalkovist Union	8,501	1.8%	1
Civil Rights Party	6,031	1.3%	1	1
Others	6,988	1.5%	0
Total valid	479,269	95.2%
Invalid/blank votes	28,112	5.5%
Total (Turnout: 52.4%)	507,381		66
Source: Venadian Electoral Commission

Economy

The Salavskian economy is dominated by the primary sector, primarily agriculture and mining. Other important industries include timber, education, healthcare and tourism. Tourism in particular has grown dramatically in past decades, a welcome boon to an otherwise poor and stagnant district. Salavsk possess no tertiary education facilities of its own, with Salavskians wishing to pursue higher education having to move to other Venadian areas and the Volost has the lowest number of individuals with a tertiary degree in Venadian majority districts.

Income in Salavsk is low, with only neighboring Reloslav having lower per capita income among Venadian-majority districts. Unemployment is relatively high at 16.4% of the workforce.