Vjecnigrad

Vjecnigrad ("Eternal City", originally Mladengrad after Queen Mladen the Great, renamed after the founding of the republic) is the capital of Darmania. It has an estimated population of 700,000.

## Geography

Vjecnigrad is located on the Žaclav plain north of the Irsk valley. Before the city's foundation, the area was mostly known for its frequent rainfalls and low soil depth, due to which it was considered unsuited for larger settlements which would not only be uncomfortably wet most of the time, but also dependent on import of base food from other regions. The villages which did exist on the plain where located near its only river, and its inhabitants based most of their income on cattle keeping rather than farming.

Due to the excessive amounts of rain Vjecnigrad was built on an artificial cone-shaped hill, so that the water would not pool on the streets but run off the city along the steeply slanted streets. As a result, the area immediately surrounding the hill is perpetually water-sick.

## History

Vjecnigrad was founded by the 16th century queen Mladen the Great, who wanted a city named after herself as she didn't already have one. According to legend, she threw a dart at a map of Darmania without looking, and had the city built where the dart landed. An civilian village with a home for war orphans was razed to the ground to give room for the city, and the river which fed the then fertile region of Irsk was dammed up, leading to droughts and eventually complete depopulation. The city was generally considered a success.

Vjecnigrad became the scene of many battles during the 1932-1938 civil war, changing hands many times until it eventually became the base of the freedom fighters under Eryk Vodenicharov. Eryk made it the nation's new capital even before a total victory had been accomplished, and upon being elected president, ordered the original capital to be evacuated and burnt down.

## Tourism

Vjenigrad recieves around 150 000 Darmanian tourists each year, as well as approximately 12 from outside the country's borders. Most tourists arrive for the Cucumber blessing festival, during the national holiday weekend after harvest season, or for the autumnal market in late *Pacem* ( usually the last week of November according to the common calendar).

### Tourist attractions

The most popular attractions are the President's Palace, the President's Park, the President's Patio, the President's Plaza, and the President's Pavilion. The President's Path is a popular guided tour which takes the tourists between the aforementioned sights while telling about their history and usage. Among other attractions are the Darmanian Institute of Great Knowledge, the country's only university, the Good Good Museum, the world's only cucumber museum, and the Monument Of Those Poor Poor Little Children, which Queen Mladen had raised over the war orphans who's lives were sacrificed for the building of the city.

### Lodging

Vjecnigrad has two hotels and a number of smaller youth hostels and privately rented rooms or apartments. Most popular among Darmanians is the Golden Cucumber Hotel, which offers limited services and a low level of comfort compared to internatonal hotels, but much more affordable rooms. The Golden Cucumber Hotel is also the largest hotel in Darmania and, at five and a half stories, the second tallest building. It has room for two hundred guests in relative comfort but can fit up to a thousand around the time of the Cucumber Blessing festival. International tourists are recommended the Luydmila Hotel & Conference, which is more expensive but provides greater comfort and security for its visitors. The Lyudmila Hotel & Conference has running water on the first two floors and electrical lights in most of the building.

Youth hostels are less monitored than hotels and guests are generally allowed to come and go as they want; however, for this reason international tourists often find difficulty to aquire permission to stay there. Private rooms are for Darmanian citizens only.

### Threats to tourists

International tourists are discouraged from travelling to Darmania due to the high risk of being imprisoned while in the country. Not only does Darmania have strict laws regarding expression of beliefs or opinions, political views, photographing, filming, sound recording, reading and writing, using telephone booths (Darmania does not have coverage for cell phones) and wearing certain clothes such as jeans and sneakers. Tourists are also heavily monitored and forbidden from going anywhere without a guide. Some have been confined to their hotel rooms for their entire visit.