Welthauptstadt Germania

Welthaptstadt Germania (lit. World Capital Germania), often referred to as simply Germania, is the federal capital of the Aryan People's Federation and seat of government of the World Capital Federal State. The city is located in the Teutoburg Forest, north of Osnabruck, as an enclave within the Greater Germanic Reich. It was founded by Adolf Hitler to serve as the new capital, designed by Albert Speer. Construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1964, under Heinrich Himmler.

## Planning

As the purpose-built capital of the Aryan People's Federation, Germania has had a long and complicated building process. Envisioned as a uniting tool by Adolf Hitler and designed by Albert Speer, it was initially designed to be over the location of Berlin. However, it was found that Berlin's marshy soil made it impossible to complete the vision of the city. While Hitler insisted on continuing the project by building extremely strong foundations, Speer argued for a location near the North Sea that would be accessible to all Northwest Germanic regions, envisioning the city at the center of the German world. After thorough convincing, the project was moved southwest from its original location between Bremen and Hamburg to a region slightly north of Osnabruck.

The Osnabruck area was selected for a variety of reasons; the original planned site was still on marshy ground at the Weser River. Osnabruck was close to the Rhine, the main center of existing development and a region which benefited Speer directly, and the city itself was an important center of commerce. Being located further west was beneficial to the Volksbund, as Germany would be able to keep an eye focused on Germanizing the Low Countries and monitoring Britain. Osnabruck was a region of historical significance; it was a member of the Hanseatic League, was close to Teutoburg Forest, and was a site of numerous treaties within Germany, such as the Peace of Westphalia. Finally, for political reasons, keeping an eye on Osnabruck and the larger region of Lower Saxony benefited the NSDAP, as it was previously a stronghold of the Social Democrats. The main agreement of this compromise is that a separate, larger monument would be built in Berlin; the 700-meter Valhalla Tower.

## Construction

With a location settled, construction began. Speer was influenced by the style of stripped classicism; streets lining in geometrical shapes and a white concrete style reminiscent of marble, but serving practical purposes. The grand Volkshalle is in the city's north and is designed to loom over the whole of the region, with the flat rooves of the Germania skyline allowing it to be seen at all points. The Berlin Victory Column is moved to the great east-west axis south of the Volkshalle, and a massive Chancellery is to stand opposite of the building at an equal distance.

The city is scattered with these monuments, museums, and architectural pet projects to a fault, around half of the city's planning being composed of funds being directed to the Volkshalle, Chancellery, the massive Siegesbogen arch, the Statue of Bismarck, the Great Clock Tower, and the Hitler Temple. Residential, commercial, and industrial centers within Germania come before these grandiose structures.

This is what composes First Germania; Second Germania, however, is far different. A far more brutalist area in design, the circle of Second Germania directly surrounding the First is split into numerous business, industrial, and residential districts. Apartments, factories, offices, and the occasional park define the outer city; it is meant to seem organized, efficient, and practical. Finally, a eight free-standing large concrete walls surround the exterior of the city, opening where there are roads, each being named for their cardinal direction. Above it are searchlights and watchtowers, the entrances of the city having checkpoints.

Finally stands Third Germania, a region of suburbs and open land where power plants, the Adolf Hitler International Airport, and numerous miscellaneous districts are.

With the full plan approved, the building of the city would begin, costing the Volksbund billions and taking years upon years to complete. Economic and construction issues and delays meant Hitler never was able to see the work complete, and it wasn't until 1964, fifteen years since construction began, that the planned city was officially inaugurated and made the capital of the Volksbund.