Gladiorka

Gladiorka (pronounced /gɫɑdiʔorka/, *GLadi-orka* in ruthenian, locally /gɫɑdɨrka/ or even /hɫɑdɨrka/) is a city of the estat Sansek, and the oblashorod of the oblast Nygya-Sarvatkann. It lays on the Denekecziv mountains. The city has known an important growth in the last decades.

## History

### Toponym

The city name, *Gladiorka*, has the particularity of having two consecutive vowels. A common mistake for non-ruthenian people is to pronounce *dio* /djo/ (with a palatal consonant) but in this case the city's name would have been spelled *Glagyorka*. Ruthenian speakers always separate the two vowels while pronouncing the name of the city.

The first testimony of this name dates back to the late middle age with the then settlement being named *Glad-Ijorak*, which meaned in Ancient Ruthenian "Town in a gorge". In modern Ruthenian, *glad* became *horod* and *ijorak* became *jirak*, but the name of the city lost its signification and followed a different evolution. The first testimony of the actual name dates back from the end of the eighteenth century.

Local people have a significantly different pronounciation of the city's name. They frequently omit the /o/ and transform the /i/ into a dark *i*, /ɨ/. Along with this modification, the initial *g* is often pronounced as a *h*. It is part of the modifications implied by the sansekian accent.

## Politic

Sonja Lanjenski, member of the RNG, is the mayor of the city since 2015. She was elected prematurely after the suicide of the former mayor, Viktor Husinov.

## Geography

### Topography

Gladiorka lies on the Denekecziv mountains, and its city centre is situated at a height of 564 m from sea level. The city is steep-sided between mountains, in a narrow valley known as Eklinska Valley (*Eklinskadava* in ruthenian). Because of that, the city has a high population density and properties are relatively expensive for the size of the city. Gladiorka is near several ski resorts and famous wandering paths, making it an important holiday destination.

The nearest large cities are Senfera (34 km northbound), Silidann (56 km westbound), Xeristoh (81 km southbound) and Tarna (82 km northbound).

The city is also located at only 11 kilometers from the Polish border. It is one of very spare roads to cross the border in Nygya-Sarvatkann, with the only other near Zhenskeldava.

### Climate

Gladiorka has a pronounced moutainous climate. Along with Hoeldansvell, the city is generally considered as the coldest city of the country, with hard winters and sweet summers. The city is a very snowy place and it is not uncommon to see several weeks of frost at a stretch. Because of its steep-sided location, the city is also very windy, especially during autumn and winter. There is a common locution in Ruthenian Confederation that says "It's a gladiorkan weather" to say that weather is very cool.

During winter, the temperatures often drop to -25 °C with severe snowstorms, while during summer, they rarely reach 30 °C with sporadic thunderstorms. Showers are really common during autumn and spring.

## Economy

Gladiorka, as most cities of the regions, was an industrial town with its economy based over mines, coal industry and farming. As most mines and industrial centres had closed at the end of the twentieth century, it was essential for the city to make a reconversion. It was partly successfull with major economical redevopments into tourism and service sector. The city suffered however from high unemployment rates during the first decade of the twenty-first century, a phenomenon that directly engendered a decrease of population. Today, the city has became an important employment area for its oblast. During winter, the city and its surroundings often offer seasonal jobs, mainly due to ski resorting.

## Transport

#### By road

Gladiorka suffers from its steep-sided location along with the lack of efficient road connections. There is no motorway or even expressways serving the city. The closest trunk road is the O441, which passes at Lymnorik, a few kilometers from the western side of the city. Although being an "expressway like" road for parts of its journey, the O441 is only a one-way road on Gladiorka's surroundings. The route itself is regularly obstructed because of its large amount of traffic, especially trucks.

By road, the journey to Tarna takes approximately one hour and a half for a little more than one hundred kilometers.

#### By train

Unlike its road location, Gladiorka is well served by rail transports. Gladiorka railway station lays on the Long Eastern Main Line, one of the few major cross-country lines. The station is a regional hub as well as an intercity stop for long distance trains. Since the last decade, there is also an increasing number of commuters running each day to and from the city.

The railway system is generally considered as the best way to reach the nearer large cities, such as Tarna and Xeristoh, because train journey times are quicker than road ones. For instance, fastest services take only forty-eight minutes to cover the whole distance between Gladiorka and Tarna, whereas it would have taken more than one hour and a half by car.

#### By plane

Gladiorka is not served by any airport, and there is only a small aerodrome at Koldhorod (twenty kilometers west from the city) but it is only used for leisure and there is no commercial flights landing here. The nearest commercial airport is Tarna Voling Airport, which is about 115 km north-west from Gladiorka.

#### Urban transports

Gladiorka is served by a public bus system. The bus system has seven lines, along with limited school bus services.

## Education

Gladiorka is the main educational centre of the oblast Nygya-Sarvatkann, and the city itself has eleven public schools (*jkola* and *prijkola*), four junior high schools (*serevigya*) and three senior high schools (*obuzceneva*). One of them is a pre-university high school, and the remaining two are technical high schools - one for financial studies and the other for agronomics. There is also several private schools and high schools in the city area.

There is no university in Gladiorka and in the whole oblast Nygya-Sarvatkann. The closest ones are at Tarna and Xeristoh.

## Media

The headquarters of *Denekecziv Megyi* are located at Gladiorka. *Denekecziv Megyi* are publishing a daily newspaper, the *Denekecziv Gyevnį*. Since 2011, they also own a radio channel, *Denekecziv FM*.

## Sport

Gladiorka has a soccer team that was ranked first for 2017 Sansek's championship. The city own a softball team as well.

There are also several sport infrastructures belonging to the city, for public and school purposes.