Elstock

Free City of Elstock Wòlny Gard Elstók (Elsian) Freie Stadt Elstock (Tyrnican)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Per lucem et fidem" "By light and faith"
Anthem: O krôjnié rzéki / O Land des Flusses O land of the river
Capital and largest city	Elstock (city-state)
Official languages	Elsian, Tyrnican
Ethnic groups (2020)	55.9% Elsian 27.8% Tyrnican 7.2% Rasmi 5.5% Senian 3.6% Other
Religion (2020)	36.4% Classical 29.9% Apostolic 21.2% Irreligious 10.6% Aulaist 2.0% Other
Demonym(s)	Elstocker
Government	Unitary directorial parliamentary republic
• Mayor-Presidents	Jón Ritter Josef Gottlieb
Legislature	Senate
Independence from Tyrnica and Pelemia
• Elstock founded	c. 900 CE
• Elsian March	17 May 1224
• Annexed by Pelemia	3 September 1677
• Annexed by Tyrnica	1 May 1901
• Elstock Agreement	15 July 1914
• Current constitution	21 March 1999
• Full independence	1 January 2000
Area
• Total	120 km2 (46 sq mi)
• Water (%)	10.5
Population
• 2020 census	241,490
• Density	2,012/km2 (5,211.1/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$14.55 billion
• Per capita	$60,255
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$12.81 billion
• Per capita	$53,025
HDI (2020)	0.850 very high
Currency	Commonwealth mark (M) (COM)
Time zone	UTC+1 (Central Auressian Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (Central Auressian Summer Time)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+07 22
ISO 3166 code	EL
Internet TLD	.el

Elstock (Elsian: Elstók), officially the Free City of Elstock (Elsian: Wòlny Gard Elstók; Tyrnican: Freie Stadt Elstock), is a city state in northern Auressia, on the Bay of Elstock and the river Els.

Etymology

Numerous linguists attest that the native name of Elstock (Elstók in Elsian) derives from the Ludic term Elstoc (*els-tokŭ, or "fork of the Els"), named after the river Els that runs through the city before draining into the Bay of Elstock. Before the Elsian language was standardized in the 19th century, the port previously appeared in documents as alternatively Elstik, Alztyk, Elztuk, and Elczók.

The Tyrnican Elstock is also assumed to be derived from the original Ludic term, and has in the past appeared as Elsstok, Elßtok, Alstock, or Elztock in various historical documents.

History

Early history

• Initially founded around the 10th century as a gord (fortified settlement) by the Ludic Elsians. Emerges as a notable place of trade between the Elsians and Tyrnicans from the west.
• By 11th century, a confederation of Elsian chiefs is attested, also referred to as the Elesi. Little information exists, but is often considered the first Elsian proto-state.
• The region quickly becomes influenced by Tyrnica, and in 1224, the monastic Order of Saint Perende beseige and occupy Elstock and other gords in Elsia in an attempt to Perendize the Ludic peoples to Tyrnica’s east. The monastic Elsian March (Marca elsica, Elsische Mark) is created along the river Els, with the order making Elstock their seat.

Elsian March

• Elstock’s annexation into the Elsian March sees the city boom as a centre of culture and trade during the medieval period, with the city becoming an integral part of north Auressian trade routes, especially in the production and trade of amber. The Monk’s Castle (the primary seat of the Steward, the nominal head of the order) finishes its construction in 1267.
• The University of Elstock is founded in 1298. The university remains an important and prestigious symbol of Elstock and Auressian higher education to the present day.
• Throughout the medieval period, Elstock and Elsia writ large are Perendized and brought under the control of the Order of Saint Perende, and a ruling class of Tyrican monks, knights, and a fledgling merchant class lord over the still-majority Elsian population of the river valley. The Rasmi, a ethno-religious group, begin to migrate towards Elsia as a source of livelihood and to flee persecution, with the Order allowing notable tolerance towards the Rasmi due to their reputation as blacksmiths and horseback riders, skills that could be co-opted for the March.

Decline and the early modern period

• In the early 1500s, the Elsian March, already on the decline for decades from external forces, erupts into civil war as the local Apostolic Church faces splintering and the political clout of monastic rule falters. Although Elstiock itself stays within the order’s control, the rest of Elsia either forms their own entities or are subsumed by larger neighbours. Attempts to secular the March fail as Elstock enters a period of decline, albeit remaining an important tradeport.
• In 1677, Elstock, now the final holdout of the Order of Saint Perende, is quickly and quietly annexed by Pelemia after a short blockade. Initially, the city is granted high autonomy, with much of the power remaining in the former monastic class, leading to tension with a now substantial merchant class consisting of both Elsians and Tyrnicans.
• In the 17th and 18th centuries, with nation-building and the formation of proto-nationalism occurring in Pelemia and elsewhere in the region, pressure is placed on Elsians to integrate and assimilate to larger Tyrnican and Severny populations, often with harsh reprisals. These efforts of “Trynicanization” and “Severnization” would become more severe in the 19th century.

19th century

• The Tyrnican Century affects and influences Elstock immensely, with the city increasing trade with the influential neighbour. The construction of the Elstock-Ardarschweig railway line in 1836 (and the neoclassical Amber Square Station) precedes both an economic boom and the rise of tourism to the city from the rest of Pelemia and abroad, especially from Tyrnica. The Elstocker Casino is opened in 1859, beginning the city’s long relationship with the gambling industry, alongside a number of luxury hotels catering to the Auressian nobility and elite as Elstock gains notoriety as “the playground of the rich and famous” of Auressia.
• As Elstock itself sees a revival, the Elsians within Pelemia and Tyrnica are further burdened by restrictive policies and forced resettlement. In Elstock itself, Pelemian authorities favour the local Tyrnican-speaking ruling class, and the Elsian language is de facto banned in 1850. The situation worsens in Elsia proper with even more invasive policies around banning permanent housing and land ownership, in an attempt to settle Severny in the Els river valley. In response, a fervent (and often violent) Elsian nationalist movement forms. A famine in 1871 leads to mass death and migration to Marceunia, and a failed minor uprising by Elsian farmers protesting land seizures.
• In Elstock, Pelemian authorities crack down on Elsian nationalists through stripping the city’s autonomy. The position of Mayor is established in 1868 as a governor appointed by the Prince in order to keep order in the city. This fails, and tensions explode into numerous riots in the 1870s to the 1890s. In retaliation, Pelemia engages in a deliberate attempt to “starve out the dissidents” through government seizure of land and materials throughout Elsia. This, alongside “unauthorized” shootings and torture conducted by the military, make up the Devastation (Elsian: Dëwastacjô), a period often cited by Elsians as an attempt at ethnic cleansing, or even cultural and physical genocide by the Pelemian state. Estimates are vague, but roughly half (500,000) of Elsians are either killed or flee the region during the events of the Devastation. The Devastation has more of an effect on the countryside than urban centres, leaving Elstock still-majority Elsian by the 20th century.

First Great War and the 20th century

• In 1901, Tyrnica annexes Elstock, alongside a swath of western Pelemia. Initially hailed as liberators, the Elsian population of Elstock are displeased as Tyrican officials retain many of the Pelemian policies on language rights and an open favoritism towards the majority-Tyrnican elite of the city.
• The First Great War (1908-1914) devastates Elstock economically, as the city is placed in the crosshairs of both Galene League and Coalition armies via sea. The Battle of Elstock Bay becomes notable as one of the most destructivet naval battles of the war. In 1914, with an official end to the First Great War, Elstock is granted the status of a condominium, jointly ruled by Tyrnica and Pelemia initially under military rule, in an attempt to keep balance in the region while side-stepping the Elsian independence movement as a whole.
• Under the condominium agreement, Elstock begins to rebuild under the command of the two Mayors (a Tyrnican and Pelemian diplomat jointly serving as the city-state’s executive). A move to introduce an elected legislature is dropped in the 1930s with the outbreak of the Second Great War, in which Elstock became a noted drydock and hub for spies searching for intelligence in an officially neutral territory.
• With the end of the Second Great War in 1943, Elstock’s status as a condominium is questioned as de-colonization around the world begins. Some powers are given to an appointed local Senate in 1970, but most legislative power remains in the hands of the Mayors, and Elstock is used as a pawn between Tyrnica and Pelemia as tension remained from the early 20th century. In response to a lack of reform and local power, the Elsian People’s Army begins a bombing campaign around Elstock from the late 1950s until the early 1990s, hoping to liberate Elstock and Elsia as a whole from Tyrnican and Pelemian influence. In 1992, Tyrnica and Pelemia agree to ending the condominium, signing the Elstock accord. This leads to the election of a Constituent Assembly in 1998, and the independence of the Free City of Elstock on 1 January, 2000.

Post-independence

• Elstock’s constitution is based on the concept of consensus government, as an attempt to reign in external influence and keep peace with the divided city-state.
• Since independence in 2000, Tyrnican and Pelemian influence remain on Elstock, and the city-state remains a geopolitical battleground between the two powers, if now less violent than in the 20th century.

Geography

The Els river is Elstock's namesake and its most defining natural feature

Elstock is situated on the mouth of the river Els, on the southern coast of the Bay of Elstock. The river bisects the city-state and forms part of the border between it and Tyrnica and Pelemia, as well as draining into the Ełwa, the only river solely with ELstock's borders. The city originally lied on wetlands formed by the convergence of the river into the bay, but urbanization has dredged the original environment since the 12th century. Elstock also lies on a floodplain hewed in by the mountains and hills bisected by the Els, and has at times faced flooding of the river's banks during the spring. Part of the coastline, mainly around the mouth of the bay, has been significantly altered by reclamation, especially in the district of Nowògard. As a urban environment, Elstock lacks any agricultural industry, with fishing being the country's only natural resource.

Government

Administrative divisions

Elstock is divided into six districts (Elsian: dzélnicô; Tyrnican: Bezirk), with certain rights and responsibilities on the local level. The modern-day districts are based on the original four divisions of the city in the 18th century. Szmëlermark would be incorporated into Elstock in 1884, and Tónkowò in 1914.

1. Stôrògard (lit. 'Old Town'; Altstadt)
2. Nowògard (lit. 'New Town'; Neustadt)
3. Fiszerstëk (Fischersteg)
4. Ełwa (Elwa)
5. Szmëlermark (Schmalermarkt)
6. Tónkowò (Antonkow)

Population

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1700	20,000	—
1780	51,303	+156.5%
1800	44,349	−13.6%
1830	55,490	+25.1%
1850	69,893	+26.0%
1885	80,308	+14.9%
1900	85,281	+6.2%
1910	98,803	+15.9%
1920	140,172	+41.9%
1930	192,381	+37.2%
1940	200,277	+4.1%
1950	241,386	+20.5%
1960	282,295	+16.9%
1970	262,530	−7.0%
1980	253,013	−3.6%
1990	249,281	−1.5%
2000	245,120	−1.7%
2010	242,638	−1.0%
2020	241,490	−0.5%