Gmunenhochwald
Raugraviate of Gmunenhochwald Raugrafschaft auf Gmunenhochwald (Alemannisch) | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Gmunenhochwald within Dolchland. | |
 Map of Gmunenhochwalden | |
| Capital | Untergmunenbrucken |
| Official languages | Alemannisch |
| Demonym(s) | Gmunenhochwalder |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy |
• Raugrave | Ernst Klemens VI |
• Kanzler | Johann-Heinrich von Altenheim |
| Legislature | Raugrafstag |
| Hirtenrat | |
| Schäferrat | |
| Constituent State of Dolchland Semi-independent State | |
Gmunenhochwald, officially the Raugraviate of Gmunenhochwald (Alemannisch: Raugrafschaft auf Gmunenhochwald), is a semi-independent constituent state of Dolchland, in south-eastern Argis. It is located at almost the geographic centre of the country, between the two mountain ranges of $$$ and $$$. It borders the states of Greater Vethringen to the north, the Duchy of Gloschlick (an exclave of Panedonia), the Free State of Randstadt and Witternen to east, the southern part of Panedonia to the south-east, Macklenover and Märzwald to the south and $$$ and $$$ to the west. Gmunenhochwald is a landlocked nation and it has no direct route to the coast. The Raugraviate has a population of $$$, which is mainly rural, is concentrated along the large valley between the mountains, although the majority of the population still lives amongst the valleys, upland fields and forests of the mountains themselves. The river Gmune, which is fed by tributaries from the mountains, runs through the central valley and down through the country, forming a broad fertile floodplain in the east of the nation where it exits into Witternen. There are very few urban areas of any real size and most of these are clustered along the Gmune. The total area of the Raugraviate is $$$. The official language is Alemannisch, athough there are numerous different dialects spoken, some of them with very small geographic spreads, sometimes of only an isolated valley.
The Raugraviate is a unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy, with the power of the Raugrave defined by the constitution, the $$$. The Raugrave does retain significant powers, however, with the ability to dismiss the government at will, as well as to define laws as they see fit. In practice, however, this is limited by the often personal relationship between the monarch and their government, as well as years of tradition and protocol. The current Raugrave is Ernst Klemens VI of the House of Hochgmunentorf, who has ruled the state since 1957. The capital and most populous city, Untergmunenbrucken, is in the south-east of the country, towards the Witternen border. It is the political, economic and cultural centre of the state and it has a population of $$$. The next most populous city is Niederbekstein in the north east, with a population of $$$. The other large cities are Sudrodestadt in the south, Hagenunterbergen in the west and Hochgmunentorf, which is also the seat of the House of Hochgmunentorf, in roughly the geographic centre of the state.
Gmunenhochwald has seen many thousands of years of human habitation. The earliest human remains and artefacts date from the end of the last Ice Age, forming groups of hunter-gathers with worked flint tools. The Dolchic peoples arrived in the Gmune Valley by 2000BCE and either pushed out or subsumed the native inhabitants. The small valleys, isolated plateaus and uplands formed tribal territories, which slowly coalesced into petty kingdoms. The south of Gmunenhochwald was a key battleground during the War of the Habstrian Succession, as the valley of the Gmune formed a major trade and transportation route across southern Dolchland. A force holding any one of the fortified cities of Untergmunenbrucken, Hochgmunentorf and Hagenunterbergen could close the valley to the opposing side, or at least force them into a costly siege. Since then, the Raugraviate has attempted to stay apart from imperial politics of Dolchland, especially since it borders two of the five kingdoms of Dolchland. During the Schlammburg Crisis, the young Raugraf Ernst Klemens attempted to distance himself from either side but, due to being bordered to the south and east by Panedonia, Gmunenhochwald was more drawn to the Panedonian side. Since then, Ernst Klemens has striven to maintain a steady course within Imperial politics.
The Raugraviate is a developing economy, with a GDP of $$$ and a per capita GDP of $$$, lagging behind the other, similarly sized Dolchland states. The state has a mixed economy and is predominantly based in the natural sector, with livestock and arable farming making up the largest parts of the economy. There is also a small heavy industrial sector, with some mining of iron and coal taking place within the $$$ mountains. Logging and other timber related activities also add to the economy. In the internal politics of Dolchland, Gmunenhochland is more aligned to Panedonia than Habstria when political differences between those two powerful states arise, but the state's government tries to keep itself aloof to them and act in the best interests of the empire as a whole. The state has few international contacts, primarily due to it being landlocked and no direct route beyond Dolchland's borders.
Etymology
Gmunenhochwald takes its name from the river Gmune, which runs roughly in a west to east direction through the country, before flowing out of the Raugraviate where the borders of Witternen and Panedonia meet. The river's name is thought to derive from a possessive variation of Gmu, a proto-Dolchic river god and personification of the river itself. The latter parts of the name refers to the high forests that dominate the flanks of the mountains that rise above the river's northern and southern banks.
The river's name is also seen in the names of many of the important and lesser settlements within the state, such as Untergmunenbrucken ("Bridge over the lower reaches of the Gmune") and Hochgmunentorf ("Village high above the Gmune"), the latter of which is also from where the ruling house takes its name.