Hartfer
Hartfer | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 | |
| Country | Grand Duchy of Radictistan |
| County | Norcustsur |
| Government | |
| • Statmeister | Mikhail Borovets |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,083 km2 (1,963 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,436 m (4,711 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 14,389,674 |
| • Rank | 2nd in Radictistan |
| • Density | 2,800/km2 (7,300/sq mi) |
| According to national census. Actual population including all blutstat residents is likely to be higher. | |
Hartfer, officially the Municipality of Hartfer is the capital of the County of Norcustsur and the second-largest city in the Grand Duchy of Radictistan. The city is home to more than fourteen million people and has an economy centered around manufacturing. It is home to the heart of the Radictistan automobile industry with close to a quarter of a million workers employed therein with Radictistan Automotive Works and other companies. The city is also a major center for steel production with two of Radictistan's largest steel firms, Nor Stahlwerk and Kazdan Mining and Metals located therein.
In recent times Hartfer has been the victim of a large number of terrorist attacks perpetrated by the Communist Party of Radictistan, an underground militant organization which aims to overthrow the Radictistani monarchy and establish a communist state.
Government
The Municipality of Hartfer is governed through a Mayor-council government. A chief executive called a Statmeister is elected by residents for a three-year term. An eleven-member Municipal Council is elected from single-member districts. Hartfer contains three parliamentary constituencies. One seat is held by the incumbent Fascist Democratic Party. One seat each is held by the Labor Party and National Conservative Party. The political polarization of the city has resulted in periodic outbreaks of violence between supporters of the parties.
Law enforcement
The Hartfer Municipal Police is responsible for basic law enforcement services. The municipal police has a reputation for corruption leading most residents to distrust the force. The County of Norcustsur Police and Royal Security Police are also present in number. The county police also suffer from both corruption and infiltration by the KPR. The Royal Security Police is considered to be more trustworthy. Because of the precarious security situation in Hartfer, units from the Royal Radictistan Army also provide security within the city. All security forces have taken considerable casualties fighting the Communist guerrillas.
Geography
Hartfer is situated on a high plateau surrounded by hills and mountains of the Norbargen chain at an elevation of 1,436 meters above sea level. The municipality has a total area of 5,083 km2. The close proximity of the surrounding peaks makes further greenfield development extremely costly and time-consuming. The Hartfer river runs through the municipality.
Cityscape
The central business district of Hartfer Is home to a number of tall buildings. The tallest structure in Hartfer is the 519-meter Unity Tower which is also the tallest freestanding structure in Radictistan. The Unity Tower was built to house communications antennae and has an observation deck at a height of 398 meters, 87 meters higher than the top floor of the Hans Skeyvesant Tower in Nuxenstat. The tallest skyscraper in Hartfer is the 265-meter Radictistan Automotive Works Tower owned by the automobile manufacturer and containing its corporate offices. It is the sixth tallest skyscraper in Radictistan overall.
Economy
The Hartfer economy is focused on heavy industry. The city is dotted with steel mills, automobile factories, smelters, and other manufacturing concerns. Major employers include Radictistan Automotive Works, Nor Stahlwerk, Elektronenexport, and Kazdan Mining and Metals. The steel industry alone employs 65,000 people and the automobile industry 215,000. The workforce in Hartfer is highly unionized, leading to occasional labor disputes between organized labor and management.
Steel
Nor Stahlwerk's Hartfer Werke and KMM's Hartfer Stahlwerke account for 23.5 million tonnes of raw steel production annually, roughly a quarter of Radictistan's total output. Both are fully integrated facilities producing steel components beginning with raw materials.
Motor vehicles
Radictistan Automotive Works, the country's largest motor vehicle manufacturer, operates two assembly plants in Hartfer which produce mass market and luxury personal vehicles. The mass market plant, RAW's flagship manufacturing facility, is connected to an engine and transmission plant by the 8.1 km Hartfer Freight Tramway.
Transport
Air
The Municipality of Hartfer is home to Norcust-Hartfer International Airport, the second busiest airport in Radictistan by passenger traffic. It is one of two airports open to regularly scheduled international passenger flights, the other being Nuxenstat Xenocimedes Radicti International Airport. Norcust-Hartfer is the most important thoroughfare for air freight in Radictistan. Radictistan Air Parcel Service, a major cargo airline, has its main hub at NHI as does Norcust Aviation, one of the "Big Four" passenger airlines.
Road
Hartfer is connected to Nuxenstat by the A10 motorway. Ghorma and other cities to the east of Hartfer are reached by the A17. Hartfer is connected to other Norcustsur cities by the G26 and the G15.
Rail
Hartfer Central Station is the northern terminus of the Nuxenstat-Hartfer Main Line, one of the country's main rail arteries and the running ground of the famed Intercity Express service. The station is also the northern terminus of the East Coast Main Line. Numerous passenger services are run daily by Royal Radictistan Railways. The municipality also receives and is the origin of a vast quantity of rail freight. Numerous rail lines bring in raw materials from elsewhere in Norcustsur and take out finished products.
Port
The Port of Hartfer is a major inland port serving primarily mineral traffic.
Public Transit
Hartfer has a highly developed system of public transit. In addition to numerous bus, trolleybus and tram lines, the Hartfer Municipal Transit Authority maintains one of two subterranean rapid transit systems in Radictistan, the Hartfer Metro. All HMTA servies are accessible by using an integrated ticketing system. The public transit system has suffered from the ongoing internal conflict with several bombings of stations and vehicles.
Education
Tertiary education
Two county-funded institutions of higher education are located within Hartfer's boundaries: the University of Norcustsur-Hartfer, part of the University of Norcustsur system, and Norcust Polyteknic.
Primary and secondary education
The Hartfer Municipal Education Authority operates publicly-funded primary and secondary schools within the municipality. Compared to other urban areas Hartfer has more schools for students on the vocational education track than it does gymnasiums.
Culture
Media
As the second-largest city in Radictistan, Hartfer represents a large market for both print and broadcast media. Kellermann Broadcasting operates two television channels and two radio stations serving the municipality. There are also a number of independent television and radio stations. Hartfer is served by two daily newspapers and a pair of alternative weeklies.
Museums and galleries
The National Aviation Museum is located adjacent to the airport grounds. The museum's collection contains about sixty aircraft and thousands of artifacts. The Hartfer Museum of Science and Industry is another prominent local icon. The museum contains an array of exhibits pertaining to Radictistan's industrial and mineral wealth. The Northern Railway Museum houses a number of locomotives along with other railway artifacts. Hartfer is also home to a number of notable art museums including the Museum Suarez and the Kemmings Institute of Art.
Performing arts
The Radictistan Automotive Works Center in downtown Hartfer is one of the largest performing arts centers in Radictistan, hosting plays, operas, concerts, and other types of performances. The main theater has a capacity of 3,766 persons.
Sport
Due to its great size, Hartfer is able to support a number of professional sports clubs. The Hartfer Schwarm and Hartfer Angriff football clubs are located in the municipality. As with many things in Hartfer football is divided by politics with left-leaning people generally supporting Schwarm while rightists support Angriff.
The Hartfer Eisraptors represent the municipality in professional ice hockey.
Parks and recreation
The Hartfer Department of Parks operates six public parks totaling 392 hectares (3.92 km2). The largest is Rudel Park which encompasses 76 hectares.