Reichsstadt

A **Reichsstadt** (plural Reichsstädte), occasionally and formerly known as a **Führerstadt**, is a special designation bestowed upon key cities within the South American Reich. The Reichsstädte exist outside of the usual vassalage arrangement within the Reich, and are given autonomy and protection under the direct purview of Great Lord of South America. The Reichsstädte are where the majority of German South Americans reside, and they serve as the administrative centres of the Reich, in some cases serving as the capitals of the Federated States. The features of the Reichsstädte that distinguish them are their special administrative status, majority (if not exclusive) German speaking population, and adherence to Stripped Classical architecture. As of 2020, the seven Reichsstädte are: Welthauptstadt Germania; Wodanstadt; Walhallstadt; Siegfriedstadt; Thorstadt; Freyjastadt; and Walkürestadt.

The genesis of the Reichsstädte lie in the Führerstädte of Adolf Hitler's Germany. As ODESSA amassed power in South America, the SS settled ethnic Germans fleeing Germany into towns that would eventually become the Reichsstädte. Following the Millennium Coup in 2000 and von Eisenfaust's formal assumption of power, construction of the first Führerstadt, Welthauptstadt Germania, began near Buenos Aires. Work on Wodanstadt and Walhallstadt began soon after. By 2016, the first seven of a planned ten Führerstädte were completed.

After Viktoria von Esienfaust's putsch in the summer of 2016, the Führerstädte were renamed Reichsstädte, and the remaining three were temporarily cancelled as the new government focused its domestic policies elsewhere.

## Designated Reichsstädte

**Welthauptstadt Germania**: Located 130 kms from Buenos Aires, Welthauptstadt Germania is the capital of the South American Reich and the crown jewel of its empire. Boasting a population of over 3 million ethnic Germans, almost all descendants of those who fled in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Germania is the most populated and wealthiest of the Reichsstädte, and is the site of the Volkshalle and the centre of the Reich's administrative apparatus. The city began construction in early 2000 and completed in 2003.

The Volkshalle in Welthaupstadt Germania**Wodanstadt:** Built 90 kms north of Santiago, Chile, construction of Wodanstadt began near the completion of Germania in 2003, and finished in 2005. With a population of 2.8 million people, Wodanstadt is the second most populated of the Reichsstädte. Unlike Germania and the other Reichsstädte, the majority of Wodanstadt's population are descendants of Germans who arrived in South America before 1945. Despite resembling its sister cities, Wodanstadt has a distinctly Latin American flavour.

**Walhallstadt:** 103 kms from Lima, Peru, construction on Walhallstadt was simultaneous with Wodanstadt. Its 2 million German-speaking population began settling in the region following the 1980 takeover of Peru by Luis Alberto Dávila Reátegui. Some of the Reich's most fervent supporters outside of Argentina reside in Walhallstadt.

**Siegfriedstadt:** Siegfriedstadt was finished in early 2006, on the site of Sorocaba, 92 kms from São Paulo, Brazil. With a population of just 1.5 million people, it is the smallest Reichsstadt in terms of population. As a parallel to *Cristo Redentor*, a 50 metre tall equestrian statue of Siegfried overlooks the city.

**Thorstadt:** Built over the razed city of Guayaquil in Ecuador, Thorsdtadt's 1.8 million population is home to the Reich's largest pacific port, and the major base of the Reich's Pacific Fleet. Completed in 2006, Thorstadt's gigantic suspension bridge over the Rio Guayas contains a decorative frieze depicting the Nibelungen saga with monumental equestrian statues in pairs of Siegfried and Kriemhild and Gunther and Brünhild.

**Freyjastadt:** Finished in 2009 over Panama City, Freyjastadt's 2 million citizens over look the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, one of the key arteries of the Reich. Despite being built later than its sister cities, Freyjastadt's inception began soon after the Millennium Coup when SS operatives seized control of the Canal. Panama City was deserted and was first a military base, but as the Reich secured its foothold over South America, the Reich enacted plans for a permanent settlement in the region. Freyjastadt's defining monument is a 46 metre statue of the goddess on Flamenco Island. The city is a popular vacation spot for top Party officials.

**Walkürestadt:** Built over the city of Neu-Nuremburg in Venezuela, completion of Walkürestadt was not finished until 2012 due to logistical reasons and continued Resistance fighting in the region. The city was named after Valkyrie Squad, for whom its existence could not exist without their operations in the region to snuff out local resistance. Its 2.2 million citizens play host to both the bulk of the Reich's Caribbean Fleet and to its annual Reich Party Congress.