Wittburg
Wittburg
Wittborg | |
|---|---|
| Country | Swastria |
| Free City | Wittburg |
| Town charter | June 14, 1431 |
| Free City | November 9, 1696 |
| Legislature | Stadtsversammeln |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Viktor Meusburger (SDP) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Urban | 1,509,381 |
| • Metro | 2,793,631 |
| Demonym | Wittburger |
| Time zone | UTC -6 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC -5 |
Wittburg (Low Teutonic: Wittborg) is the capital and largest city of Swastria. It is one of the federal entities of the confederation, having a special status as a "free city". In addition to being the administrative capital, Wittburg also serves as the cultural and economic capital of the Swastrian confederation as the city is home to important cultural institutions as well as the corporate headquarters of Swastria's largest companies.
Wittburg was originally founded as a worker's camp for the labourers who were working on building the bridge over the river Vielau, with the camp named "Wittbrück" after the white coloured stone used to build the bridge. Largely abandoned after construction finished, the settlement grew slowly until the late 16th century when trade along the Vielau increased dramatically. Wittbrück positioned itself to be an important trading post along the Vielau and later became one of the fortified frontier villages of the Principality of Algau. It soon became the principality's primary trading post, before being designated the capital in 1654. Growth continued into the late 17th century, with the city well positioned to be considered a neutral capital for the new confederation. During this time the name was changed to Wittburg. It was selected as the capital for the new confederation at the end of the final Constitutional Convention in 1696. As the new capital of a united Swastria, Wittburg became the centrepiece of the confederation's new image as a proud Teutonic nation. New palaces and a new central city were constructed at great expense, fueled by Swastria's increasing status as a trading nation within northern Nordania. The industrial revolution sparked the fastest period of economic and population growth in the city, increasing from 65,000 residents in 1800 to 1.5 million in 1900. Growth slowed but remained steady during the 20th century, evolving to deal with the trials of a growing city. In 1998, Wittburg passed the two million inhabitants mark.
Wittburg today is a vibrant city with a rich cultural history, offering some of the best in Swastrian art, cuisine and music. It has adopted a plan to become a carbon-neutral city by 2030 and has invested heavily in expansion of public transport and other alternatives to vehicles. Wittburg is known internationally for its green spaces, architecture and city planning, with the districts constructed during the late 18th century considered to be some of the most extensive and important examples of urban planning of its era in Esquarium.
Etymology
History
Geography
Wittburg lies towards the transition zone between the end of the Vielau Basin and the open northwestern plains. Also close to the city are the foothills of the Nordfjell, with a few hills lying within the territory administered by the city. At 1,218 square kilometres (470 square miles), Wittburg is the smallest federal entity in Swastria, but the largest city in terms of area controlled.
The majority of the city lies on the flat lands surrounding the Vielau River, with eastern suburbs more spread out and less built up. Central parts of the city are located either side of the river, with the central business district located on the western side of the river. Wittburg is reasonably low-lying, with the city sitting an average of six metres (19 feet) above the surface of the river. Although the Vielau periodically fills with rainwater and melt water, only exceptional events cause the river to burst its banks. Within the last decade, the Vielau has flooded three times, affecting many of the lower lying parts of the city to the southwest. Because of this the government of Wittburg has begun implementing a long term plan to deal with future flooding events.
Western portions of the city like at the foot of, or within, the foothills of the Nordfjell. This area is one of the few agriculturally active areas within the metropolitan area of Wittburg. Most of the land here is fertile, although owing to its exposure to prevailing northeasterly winds, is largely pastoral in nature. The western areas of Wittburg are also among the most sparsely populated, and a number of wildlife parks and reserves can be found here. Among the largest and well known of these is the Bear Hill Reserve. It is the only area of West Nordanian broadleaf temperate forest found within Wittburg and is a popular recreation area for residents.
Southwestern Wittburg is largely composed of low-lying floodplains with most of the land less than two metres above the Vielau. The area is mostly residential in nature with some farmland and parkland located between different suburbs and residential areas. Wittburg Westkamp Airport, Wittburg's largest and only commercial airport, is located in this region of Wittburg adjacent to the Vielau. Wittburg's only national park, Vielau-Brunaum National Park, can be found in the southwest. At approximately 90 square kilometres (34 square miles), it is one of Swastria's smallest national parks. It protects the only remaining undisturbed portion of floodplain within Wittburg, with portions of the park crossing the border into neighbouring Algau. It's proximity to both the city and Westkamp Airport makes it the most visited national park in Swastria.
Climate
Wittburg experiences an oceanic climate despite being located a considerable distance inland. This is largely due to the city being exposed to northeasterly winds from the Sea of Njord, as the wide plains of the northeast allow for severe weather to impact the city. Although the climate is oceanic, the inland location of Wittburg increases the temperature differences between seasons.
Summers in Wittburg are warm and sunny, with predominantly southerly winds bringing warm air from the interior of Nordania. Daily average temperatures remain mild, with averages of between 16-19°C, and high temperatures of between 22-25°C. Southerly winds can push temperatures beyond 30°C during the height of summer, and short heatwaves can be recorded. Thunderstorms which are common during the summer months on plains to the east do impact Wittburg, bringing strong winds, heavy downpours and damaging hail. Severe thunderstorms are rare. Summer is also the wettest time of the year for Wittburg, with the majority of rainfall occurring in July and August.
Winters are cool to cold, with the wind patterns changing to east and northeast winds, bringing cooler air from the Sea of Njord. Wittburg is sheltered from most of the winter storms that affect eastern parts of the country, although the city still records snowfall during winter months. Higher elevations to the west of the city are more exposed to prevailing winds and weather conditions, and therefore see higher snowfall that stays on the ground for much longer than it does down in the city proper. Blizzards are not known to affect the city directly, but Wittburg can be affected by the edges of some larger storms. Daily temperatures during winters average between 1-3°C, with low temperatures dropping below freezing at night. The city itself acts as a heat island, ensuring that the temperature within the city is warmer than temperatures outside of it.
Spring and autumn are known in Wittburg as being largely unpredictable, with spring known for increases in unstable temperatures, producing more stormy weather, and autumn known for its surprise cold snaps and early freezes. Late spring also sees the occurrence of the Keilerwind, a dry westerly wind that blows down the Vielau Basin. As Wittburg lies on the transition between the eastern plains and the Vielau Basin, these winds are often strong and sometimes damaging, but act as temperature moderators during the transition to summer.
Government
Wittburg is considered to be a separate autonomous federal entity with the same status as a constituent country. However, because it is a single tier entity, the government of Wittburg has the functions of both a constituent government and a city council.
The City Assembly of Wittburg (Stadtsversammeln) is the legislative body of Wittburg. It is considered to be the hybrid of a constituent parliament and a city council. It has powers of administration over healthcare and education in addition to standard powers over transport, building permits and other aspects of governance usually reserved for city councils. Unlike constiutent parliaments, the City Assembly cannot pass statutory laws. Instead, city ordinances (Stadtsverordnung) are passed by the assembly, and have the same legal status as statutory laws elsewhere. City ordinances cover legal gaps in federal laws, or are issued when federal law is not applicable. The City Assembly is composed of 30 Members of the City Assembly who are elected to renewable four year terms. Each member comes from one of 10 three-member wards (Wahlbezirke) and are elected via single transferable vote, with each candidate ranked alphabetically. The three candidates with the most votes are awarded seats.
The Mayor of Wittburg serves as the executive of the City Assembly. The office combines the functions of three offices; mayor, minister-president and regent. Executive powers vested in the Mayor include the ability to veto city ordinances as well as sign them into law, the appointment of city commissioners (Stadtsoberbeamtere) to administer services and amenities provided by the city, and the appointment of the city's two representatives within the Royal Assembly. In addition the mayor represents the city at the federal level and engages in official meetings and conferences with other leaders of constituent countries, the Chancellor, and foreign dignitaries. The Mayor is elected to the same renewable four year term as Members of the City Assembly but does not share the same ticket. Mayors are elected through a simple first-past-the-post system and the candidate with the most votes wins. Viktor Meusburger is the incumbent mayor of Wittburg, representing the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Wittburg is represented in the Federal Assembly through 30 constituencies, each with roughly 90,000 residents. As in constituent countries, Wittburg has jurisdiction over the creation of electoral districts. Electoral boundaries are reviewed after every census and are adjusted based on population. As of the 2017 federal election, 15 of the constituencies are held by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), 12 constituencies are held by the National Conservative Party (NKP), two constituencies are held by the National People's Party (NVP) and one constituency is held by the Pirate Party.