Free City of Randstadt
Free City of Randstadt Freistadt Randstadt (Alemannisch) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Capital | Randstadt |
| Official languages | Alemannisch |
| Demonym(s) | Randstadter |
| Government | Republic |
| Legislature | Staatsräte |
| Meisterrat | |
| Gemeinderat | |
| Constituent State of Dolchland | |
• Settlement founded | 842 |
| 1305 | |
• Granted Free charter | 1577 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 24,182 |
Randstadt, officially the Free City of Randstadt (Alemannisch: Freistadt Randstadt) is a semi-independent constituent state of Dolchland. Randstadt is located between the ($NAME) exclave of Panedonia, ($STATE) and ($STATE).
Randstadt has never been a particularly important city within Dolchland. Settlement of what was then called Emmerichswald began in 842, and the village in the area traded in wood, fur and textiles. Little attention was paid to the settlement, so much so that after the ($WAR) of ($DATE) to 1305, the subsequent peace treaty completely missed out the village of Emmerichswald. Local folk tale tells of the guildmasters of the village attempting to pay taxes to each of the three bordering states, but being refused each time, until finally deciding to pay taxes directly to the Emperor. Regardless of the truth of the matter, the area passed outside of all three bordering states' spheres of influence for so long that in 1577, the city was granted Free Charter as the Free City of Randstadt.
Randstadt is the smallest constituent state of Dolchland both by area and by population, with an area of ($AREA) and a population of 24,182. The state, despite the area being mostly comprised of the city that shares its name, is decidedly rural, with few social services, low education and a small GDP.
History
Flag and coat of arms
Randstadt has a coat of arms that has served as its main symbol since the granting of Imperial Free Charter in 1577. The arms consist of a party bendy sinister in argent and or, defaced with a pale gules. The state's flag consists of the same symbol as a banner of arms, in a ratio of 7:6. There is no distinction between the civil, state and government flag of Randstadt. The blue and gold represents the nearby ($RIVER) and the land around it, while the red vertical line represents the border regions of which Randstadt comprise.