Borjaas

Abandoned facilities on the coast of Borjaas, 2014

**Borjaas** (Russian: Борьяас, Vandiino Cyrillic: Борjаас) is an unincorperated city and former Soviet company town in Vimaaris & Skampgrad, Vandistan, lying on the southeast coast of Hornsund fjord.

## History

Borjaas is among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Vandistan, with human habitation in the area dating back to the 11th century when it was settled by the Bakiwa Coast peoples. During this time it was part of a confederation of agricultural city states largely based on fishing. Around 1450-1500, the Bakiwa Confederacy was destroyed by Vandiini Nomad invasions, resulting in the mass loss of Bakiwa writing and structures across southern Vandistan. Due to its perceived irrelevancy, Borjaas was one of the few settlements left unaffected.

In 1610, the English explorer Jonas Poole became the first foreigner to visit Hornsund fjord and the Borjaas area. For the following two centuries, English and Dutch explorers maintained a dominant presence in the area, particularly in the whaling industry within the fjord. In 1702, Borjaas became part of a reconstructed Bakiwa Confederation, primarily driven by economic interests of English and Dutch fishermen and settlers. This too fell apart upon the Russian expansion into southern Spitzbergen and the English & Dutch withdrawal from the area.

Following its incorporation into the Russian Empire in 1798, Borjaas experienced a steady decline in prominence, remaining a modest fishing port. Any population growth that followed was primarily fueled by Bakiwas seeking refuge from Russian centers of power and mining authorities.

### Soviet Period

During the Russian Revolution, Borjaas established itself as a firm stronghold of support for the Bolshevik cause in Spitzbergen, largely attributed to the town's Bakiwa heritage and historical suffering at the hands of Vandiinis and Russian imperials.

Upon the beginning of World War II, Borjaas was repurposed into an industrial town, with a primary focus on mining the coal in the surrounding mountains. Infrastructure was hastily developed and expanded to accommodate industrial operations and an influx of Russian workers. Coal mined in Borjaas played a continuous role in fueling the war effort, and the industrial capacity of the town became a source of pride for its workers and Soviet soldiers.

#### The Lebedevkaz Explosion

Despite military operations against the Soviet Union since 1941, Borjaas had remained under Russian control. At 22:00 on 7 September, 1943, the German battleship *Scharnhorst*, bound for Barentsburg, opened fire upon the Lebedevkaz Factory in Borjaas, inadvertently igniting a gas storage facility. The subsequent explosion held a yield equivalent to approximately two kilotons of TNT, and left the mainly coal-powered town burning for 8 days. In total nearly 350 workers and residents were killed, with 560 more left seriously injured. Ninety homes, two factories, and kilometers of infrastructure were destroyed. The total damages from the disaster were not fully repaired until 1953.

The emotional and cultural impact of the event on the community was profound. In 1946, the Russian song *Враги сожгли родную хату* (English: "Enemies burnt down his home") was written by Mikhail Isakovsky from the perspective of a soldier from Borjaas coming home from war to see his town in ruins. In 1960, a monument was constructed in honor of the sacrifice made by the victims of the disaster for the Soviet Union.

#### Post-War Developments

In 1966, deposits of copper and nickel ore were found in the mountains of upper Borjaas, marking the beginning of a revival for the town's industry. A new complex, the Dybenko Metallurgical Plant, was built 10 km west of Borjaas to process the raw materials from the new deposits. Work began in 1968 and the complex was finished in 1974. Low-cost apartments were built to facilitate the expansion of the industry, and within two decades the town's population had increased from 7,000 to 32,000 residents. Growth continued until 1993, when the factory complex was shut down by UN order following an inspection deeming the complex to have caused mass environmental and health concerns for the population. The closure of these factories, which enabled the operation of other facilities and employed much of the population of Borjaas, marked the termination of the vast majority of the city's industry.

### Contemporary History

For the next twenty years following the shutdown of most factories in Borjaas, the city remained in economic decay, and the vast majority of infrastructure was leftover, some partially abandoned, from its previous industrial growth. The population during this period was made up of those who had come to the city during the Soviet period and their children. The population of the city began to grow again with the beginning of mass immigration to Vandistan in the late 2010s, but to a relatively minor scale, and was not enough to significantly raise the economic state of the city. In early 2023, Sankt Fordmann-based shipping company Juneausfontein (JFAC) began operating a port at Borjaas, utilizing the city for freight imports and exports to and from Vandistan. These two factors caused the population of Borjaas to nearly double in a short period of time, however living conditions in the city again remained poor.

On September 17, 2023, Interim Prime Minister Owen passed an executive order granting Borjaas a total of $1 billion USD in funds for the renovation of infrastructure within the city and the reopening of the Dybenko Metallurgical Plant. The following day, this was immediately followed by a decree by the Ministry of Transportation for the construction of the Bakiwa Coast Mainline, connecting Borjaas to the national railway system of Vandistan. These amendments greatly aided the quality of life in Borjaas, and both of these decisions were influenced by the government and JFAC's desire to increase the efficiency and quality of freight transport through Borjaas.