Venagorod

Venagorod
City
City of Venagorod
Flag of Venagorod Flag
Country	Template:Country data Venadia
Founded	943
Government
• Body	Veche of Venagorod
• Prince	Viktor Kirsanov (LRP)
Area
• Urban	1,589 km2 (614 sq mi)
• Metro	22,758 km2 (8,787 sq mi)
Population  (2015)
• Rank	2nd
• Density	3,955/km2 (10,240/sq mi)
• Urban	6,284,595
• Metro	8,648,385
• Metro density	380/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Venagorodian Venagorodnik

Venagorod is the capital and second-largest city of Venadia, and one of two recognized Great Cities (Venadian: Великий город Velikiy gorod) meaning it has the same status as Venadian states and territories. It is situated on the Damara river in north-west Venadia. The city is divided into several wards, of which the oldest is the Venagorod Isle ward where most of the city centre is located. The city originally only spanned the boundaries of the Vena Isle, a 0.6 km^2 island located on the Damara river, but has sprawled beyond the island since the 12th century. The Venagorod urban area spans 1589 km^2, along the Damara river and includes several suburbs. The Venagorod metropolitan area spans a total of 22758 km^2 and includes numerous smaller towns.

Venagorod has been the political centre of Venadia since the middle ages, the Grand Princes of Venagorod rising to supremacy in the 11th and 12th centuries. The city has expanded since then and was Venadia's most populous city in the 14th and early 15th century, before being overtaken by Khandagrad. The city also serves as the financial and economic center of Venadia, being the headquarters of almost all financial institutions and most major Venadian corporations.

The most motable architectural landmarks are the Great Veche (16th century), the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin (12th century), the Venagorod Kremlin (11th century), Princely Palace of Venagorod (1924) and the Venagorod State Library (1884). The Great Veche, the Venagorod State Library and the Venagorod Kremlin are both located on the Vena Isle and dominate the cityscape of the island, which is the most famous and smallest of Venagorod's wards.

History

Venagorod was founded by Norsemen in 943 as the fort of Vanigard. The Vena Isle was settled by the norsemen due to its defendable position, and its strategic location on the Damara river. The fort developed into a major trading station, and by 969 could be dubbed a city. Venagorod was ostensibly part of the Kingdom of Leskland, the term the Norsemen used for the territories in northern Venadia under their control, but in 972 Chief Harald Haraldson made himself the first Grand Prince of Vanigard. In 979, the city of Venagorod was christianized following the conversion of Grand Prince Radomir by Bishop Viktor. The city was renamed Venagorod in 998 as a result of the slavification of the norse rulers, and the Venagorod Kremlin was built in 1002.

Venagorod's influence was initially limited to just the city itself, as well as some of its surrounding territories. Venagorod rose to prominence during the Venadian Wars of Religion, gaining control of vast swathes of northern Venadia. In 1221 the Republic of Venadia was formed ending the existance of the Republic of Venagorod, but the city of Venagorod remained the political centre of the Republic. The Great Veche of Venagorod was formed in 1235, primarily as a meeting of the city's nobility and citizens. The Great Veche originally met in the Venagorod Kremlin, with the construction of a building only occurring in 1264. The Great Veche initially had no de jure authority, but as a meeting of the most prominent individuals of Venadia its discussions and decisions still carried an extreme amount of weight.

Venagorod was sacked in 1425 by Vesan forces under the command of the infamous pagan ruler Traidenis. Much of the city was outright destroyed, including the original building of the Great Veche and most of the Venagorod Kremlin. Other buildings, such as the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin, sustained heavy damage. The death toll of the sack has been estimated to be between 20,000 to 30,000 and threw both the Venadian state and the city of Venagorod into chaos even after the pagan forces left. The sack was largely blamed on the failure of Grand Prince Dubromir Yurlov's failure to respond to the advancing Vesan forces, particularly by the citizens and nobility of Venagorod. When the Great Veche met in 1434 with intent to oust the Grand Prince from power, Dubromir attempted to forcibly dissolve the Great Veche. However, the Veche managed to defeat Dubromir's men, and in the ensuing Battle of Venagorod took the city. Dubromir and his allies, including the Archbishop, fled and rallied his supporters in Kandovy. This caused the Venadian Civil War that ended with the Great Veche becoming the lawfully highest authority of state.

By 1480, the city had rebuilt the entirety of the former city boundaries, and the population was estimated to be more than twice what it had been before the Sack of Venagorod. The Venagorod Kremlin was reinforced, and the defenses of the Vena Isle strengthened in general. The Torno and Krasnaya Bridge was constructed in 1493, the two stone bridges largely replacing the former wooden bridges connecting the city together. The city continued to grow up to the 19th century, when the growth became enormous with the industrialization of the city. Working class wards such as Platoski Prospekt appeared in the course of just decades. The city underwent several administrative reforms in the 19th century, greatly increasing the size of the city government.

Large scale renovations of the city's historical district occurred in 1881 to 1889. Many of the older buildings on Vena Isle and surrounding areas were demolished and replaced with modern ones, with the notable exceptions of the Great Veche, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin and its surrounding houses and buildings. Parks were similarly built during this period, and the city's streets were expanded in size. These renovations are commonly referred to as the Igoshin Renovations, after Ivan Igoshin the Prince of Venagorod at the time. The renovations were highly influenced by city architect Gennady Kirillov, with the Kirillov Park named in his honour.

Administration

Until 1434 the city of Venagorod was governed directly by the Grand Prince of Venadia, although for significant parts of its history the Grand Prince appointed a City Magistrate to handle most matters of administration and governance. In 1434 the Great Veche became the city's government, and in 1437 the Great Veche established the City Council of Venagorod. The City Council consisted of eleven members appointed by the Great Veche to handle the day-to-day affairs of the city. The Gorod Veche of Venagorod was only established in 1667 with the city's nobility and citizens electing the city council directly. In 1784 the Gorod Veche became the Veche of Venagorod, and was also granted jurisdiction of the entirety of the Venagorod urban area, and in 1921 the metropolitan area.

2013 Election

Party	Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/-
Liberal-Republican	2,073,751	47.3%	84	5
Socialist Party	940,706	21.5%	39	12
Unity Party	353,193	8.1%	15
Civil Rights Party	347,733	7.9%	14	7
Communist Party	169,399	3.9%	7	2
Patriotic Party	150,839	3.4%	6	2
Green Party	134,249	3.1%	6	6
Metro Alliance	109,743	2.5%	4	3
Others	100,690	2.3%		3
Total valid	4,380,303	95.3%
Invalid/blank votes	214,583	4.7%
Total (Turnout: 69.6%)	4,594,886		175
Source: Venadian Electoral Commission

Economy

The Venagorod economy is thriving and large, dominated by the service and financial industries. Venagorod has Venadia's highest GDP/capita, and the highest average income, but also is one of the least equal of Venadia's districts. Living standards in eastern Venagorod, especially in Kapralov Prospect, is among the lowest in Venadia with a high degree of unemployment. Other important economical spheres include manufacturing, education, healthcare, tourism and transport.