I wrote some stuff about our capital. This is basically just fluff, but it's the sort of thing that brings the world to life, innit.
In the dark times that preceded the revolution, Osgorod had another name. A name which has been purged from use, due to its connection to the old regime. We needed a break from the past. This piece will refer to Osgorod only as Osgorod, even when talking about pre-revolutionary times.
Osgorod is one of the oldest cities in the New World. While the very oldest cities are obviously coastal, it was not long before the first explorers roamed up the wide Daryo river, establishing settlements along its length. Osgorod, strategically located on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Daryo and Ilon, soon rose to prominence as a center of trade.
Osgorod's fortunes waxed and waned over the centuries. In the 11th century, the forbearers of the Selicates captured the town from the khan of the eastern steppes. In the 12th century, the Selicates built great stone walls to defend against a resurgent khanate, sections of which can still be seen today. When the Selicate realm splintered in the 14th century, Osgorod became the seat of one of the more powerful princelings. In 1542, Osgorod was conquered by the new Selicate Emperor- having been the last holdout against unification. The emperor subsequently made the city his capital, building the ostentatious Obelisk of Victory (torn down during the revolution), the elitist Imperial University (burned down during the revolution, replaced with the People's University), and levelled large swathes of the city to build his sprawling palace (dismantled during the revolution).
As the capital of the Selicate Empire, Osgorod naturally grew fat off the work of honest labourers. Wealthy merchants and nobles built gilded mansions and opulent temples, while the poor masses were relegated to slums. When industrialisation reached the Selicate Empire, the entrenched elites did not want their precious capital to be tainted by progress, relegating factories to the furthest outskirts- though they had no qualms about funneling the profits from said factories into ever more extravagant parties.
The revolution changed everything. For the better. The old imperial elitist system was destroyed. All people were finally equal; nobody stood above the rest. Obviously, though, centralised leadership was necessary to prevent capitalist resurgence. And that leadership might as well be located in the old capital, since it already had much of the infrastructure necessary to manage the country. However, it was not considered fitting for the revolution to be associated with the trappings of imperial power, so some changes were made. The city was purged of its old name, and given the name Osgorod by the People's Assembly.
The mansions lining the winding streets of the old city were replaced with apartment blocks, offices, factories, all on a rationalised radial road system. Six highways radiate outwards from the People's Assembly, like the spokes of a wheel. Major roads link the 'spokes' to form concentric circles (well, hexagons). The city is thus divided into segments, each of which is designated with a letter (А, Б, Г, Е, Ж, И) and number (1-4). Each segment has a designated function (eg residential, industrial, recreational) and is laid out in support of that function. A visitor from the North once commented "It is like a literal manifestation of the insane centralisation imposed by the Federation, robbing the city of any character and history it once had. Driving through its streets, you feel like little more than a tiny cog in a machine. But at least the traffic flows pretty well".
A metro system provides rapid public transport, while railroads allow goods to be transported in and out of the city with efficiency. State housing, in the form of concrete apartment blocks, ensures no citizen is forced to live in a slum. Primary and secondary education is available for all citizens, with the brightest minds subsequently sent to the campus of the People's University. Hospitals, emergency services, reeducation centres, parks, theatres- the city has it all. There are occasional hiccups resulting in services being sub-optimal or limited in scope, due to fallible human nature and Northern saboteurs, but the government is always quick to respond to complaints.
Notable sights to see in Osgorod include:
-The People's Assembly: each of the six departments is an architectural wonder, but it is the central structure that stands out the most. Featuring the largest dome in the New World, bedecked on the outside with gleaming steel (the machinery used to polish it is a marvel of engineering itself), the building beneath is at once humble and inspiring; humble, for being built of common concrete, yet inspiring, for the soaring contours, slopes, arches and pillars combine to speak the strength that is found in unity. Inside, beneath the great dome, is the gathering place of the People's Assembly, able to seat six-thousand representatives. The seating is tiered, and naturally the leadership of the Federation reside on the central podium- the lowest part of the room, for truly they are the servants of the entire Federation. Though thanks to excellent acoustics and carefully placed loudspeakers, this does not diminish their ability to address the representatives.
-The New Daryo Bridge: a massive suspension bridge towering over the Daryo river, high enough that all shipping can pass underneath without issue. The imperial regime never tried to build a bridge in the city, preferring to use ferries, or the bridge twenty kilometers upstream which uses a natural island in the middle of the river to make the engineering much simpler. But the revolution is all about connecting people! Cost is no object! With six car lanes and two railroads (on a deck below the road), the New Daryo Bridge is a critical artery of transportation. It might not be used as much as envisioned, but in due time the east bank will be developed, and the foresight of those who planned the bridge will be proven.
-[I dunno, I'll add more later, maybe]
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Topic: "Cold War" Arms Race // CORE THREAD // Turn 4 Public Record (Read 2599 times)