Póla

The City of a Thousand Cupolas

**Póla**, formerly the Polaburg Occupation Zone, is the second largest city of the Serene Thronemanship of Ottacorp. Bordered by Wackel City to the north, The Grand Duchy of Outback to the south-west, and The Gambit to the south. It was founded and is ruled by Chairman and Lord Mayor of Póla, Henryk Wieniawsky and was formerly governed by Prince Owltz of Gyöngybagoly. It is currently inhabited by Henryk, CamilleRosillon and hunte.

## History

### Old Póla

   The first Póla was a small coastal town on the old server, with a fort, a grocery store, a lighthouse, Admiralty Headquarters and a grand fleet of ships, it was founded by Grand Admiral Hunte. During the Great War, Byzantine hordes occupied the city, ravaging the storage and port. All wood was burned, all ships destroyed. Byzantines still occupy it to this day, planning to erase all historic buildings to construct an amphitheatre.

### Early development of New Póla

The current city was founded shortly after the server's creation in early January 2021 by Throneman Henryk Wieniawsky. The first structure in Póla was the Monument to the Sea (built by Henryk), a quartz pillar with a granite base and top, with a poem about the sea by German poet Friedrich von Schiller at the bottom. The monument also existed in Old Póla, before The Exodus. Shortly after the column was erected, Hunte temporarily built a small tent next to it, to serve as the home of the Polaese, while there were no other buildings in the city. The tent was blown up by creeper attacks several times and was destroyed following the construction of The Black Duck (by Henryk) and the Admiralty HQ (by Hunte, also a structure from Old Póla).
Shortly after the construction of The Black Duck, Henryk built the facade of Palais Wieniawsky from the old empire near a lake in a birch forest and started work on the stables of Póla. Around the same time a certain CamilleRosillon, commonly known as Jenő or Eustace, started slowly settling down in Póla, illegally building himself an office in the second floor of the newly constructed Teleportation Hub after constructing cobblestone and dirt towers and huts on Lake Póla. Fights between the mayor and Throneman Henryk Wieniawsky and Camille were a common occurence back then. With Camille's help, the Furnace Temple was constructed on the 22nd of January 2021. At the same time Henryk started collecting llamas. First he just tied them to a pole next to The Black Duck, then he constructed a small cage and eventually he decided to create a hole for the llamas to live in, which is today known as the Llama Pit, a scacred site for all Melonists.

### The First Stable Fire

Then, on the 23rd, the stables caught fire. The decorative lava from the back of the Furnace Temple had ignited the stables's western wing. Wagner and Porgsky heroically helped extinguish the flames. The damages were not repaired for several months and the back of the furnace temple was covered in several layers of stone to ensure that such a tragic event could never happen again.

### The Second Stable Fire

On the 28th, the exterior of the City Palace and Wa-La Boulevard were finished and the city was slowly growing and developing. But on the 8th of February the stables caught fire again. Camille had accidentally ignited one of the building's wooden pillars from the inside, the fire could spread without being seen at the exterior. When Henryk noticed the fire, large parts of the stables were already gone, but Wagner, Henryk and Camille, who seemingly regretted his action, could stop the fire from reaching the western wing. The fire was one of the greatest catastrophes in Pólaese history, the eastern part of the stables was in ruins, all horses in the building perished, Henryk seriously considered removing the old wooden structure to construct a stone building. However, this plan was thankfully never executed.

### The Great Trolling of February 19th and the banishment of Camille

Several days later, on the 19th, a peculiar chain of events happened. It began with Camille turning the Furnace Temple into an aquarium, flooding the entire inside, trying to drown the mayor. Then, he took the llamas from the holy Llama Pit. After Henryk, with the help of Yung, Southern and Pacal among others, tried to hunt him down, Camille locked himself in his office in the Teleportation Hub, building wooden barricades. When the hunters got inside the office, Camille ignited the floor. Large parts of the office and of the Teleportation Hub below were burned, the fire even reached the nearby Black Duck, though damages there were minimal. After these incidents, Henryk, as Throneman of Ottacorp, declared Camille a terrorist and he was banished for eternity.

### Peaceful Development

The spring of 2021 was a fairly uneventful season for Póla, a period of peaceful development. Palace Square, the beginning of dbdb lviv and Café Ziehrer were built and construction of the storage buildings and the harbour started. The Lord Mayor started building structures outside the city, mainly Penzing and the Pólympic Games and the development of Póla slowed down. In August, after the Pólympic Games were moved from August to December, Henryk returned to the city and development accelerated once again: The old pub, central train station and the headquarters of the ISoTL were built, Lake Póla was regulated, the borders of dbdb lviv were established and construction of the Justice Quarter started.

### The return of Camille

On the 24th of October 2021 the banished Camille returned to the city and was pardoned by the Lord Mayor, who considered his previous actions to either be of unfortunate, accidental or humorous nature. He was given a palais in dbdb lviv facing Lake Póla, established the Architects' Committee and was made head architectural advisor to the Lord Mayor. Upon returning, he started to vigorously work on various construction projects, most notably the Palace of Pólaese Cultural Affairs, Wagnerpark and its pavilions, as well as the House of General Melon Worship and the Department of Justice, and most recently the Comic Opera House.

### Póla following the One Hour War

For detail concerning Póla's role during the war, see The One Hour War. Following the defeat of Ottacorp in the war, the Republic's major cities were all occupied by enemy forces and governed by members of the Ostenbourgish nobility. Prince Owltz of Gyöngybagoly was installed as governor of the newly formed Polaburg Occupation Zone. The occupying forces quickly began redecorating key squares and monuments of the city, most notably the City Palais and the Square of Justice, renamed to Square of Emperor Yhorm The Great.

Discontent in the population for the new rulers grew quickly, leading to many underground movement forming in the city, following the example of the former capital Wackel, now Wackelburg. In the beginning, the resistance movements of Póla were a bit less extreme in their showcases of dissatisfaction than their Wackel comrades, who hanged local Ostenbourgish refugees thought to have collaborated with the enemy troops. This was until the Governor of Polaburg was shot several times on his way to the Comic Opera House by a member of a movement at Sperber Square. The assassination attempt led to harsh measures from the imperial government, most notably the permission for all imperial soldiers to search houses and apartments in the city as they pleased.

On the 24th of September, Póla citizens of the Sussian Religion were threatened and later attacked by Arny I. of Gavel under the banner of the 'Anti Sus League'. (see the sus massacre). The event caused relations between the occupied citizens of former Ottacorp and the Empire of Ostenbourg to improve drastically, which eventually led to the formation of The Dual Commonwealth.

### Within the Commonwealth

All squares and streets were renamed to their pre-war names and Ostenbourg decorations meant to intimidate the occupied citizens are being removed from the city.

## Organizations in Póla

Póla is home to the Admiralty of the Serene Thronemanship, the headquarters of the OttaNavy. The naval-yard of Póla is the home port of the navy. It also acts as the headquarters of the Judicial Branch of Ottacorp, being the seat of the Ottakring Supreme Court and Tribunals, the High Courts of Justice in Ottacorp and the County Courts of the City of New Póla, New Wienchen and dbdb lviv, with the Department of Justice and the Palace of Justice being located in New Wienchen district. The Headquarters of the International Society of Train Lovers is also located in Póla, at the southern edge of New Póla, directly behind the City Palace, as well as the Ottacorp Headquarters of Dr. Ötker, east of Lake Póla. The Office for the Board and Póla of the Server Cultural Heritage Organization is located near Lake Póla, next to the Fish Shop. District 4, Karlstadt, houses the headquarters of the Most Venerable Dome Lovers' Society at Dr. Sperber Square.

All non-foreign businesses and organizations were temporarily disbanded or closed following the attempted assassination of the Governor, as it was suspected that such establishments could be meeting points for underground resistance movements. This ban was lifted following the formation of the Commonwealth.

## Pólaese Cultural Institutions

### Cafés

    Póla is home to two Cafés, Café Ziehrer at Palace Square and Café Stögersteiner at the western edge of Lake Póla. The Pólaese Café is, while the name may indicate that the consumption of coffee/cocoa in it is the main attraction, a place to meet, talk, play chess and discuss, though the coffee is quite good most of the time. Café Ziehrer, housed in a former aristocratic palais, is known as a progressive place, attracting modernist painters, LSD-consuming architects and nihilist philosophers, while the Most Honourable Café Stögersteiner, named after and architecturally imitating the white wall of District 1 of Wackel City, attracts more conservative, often quite religious characters. Though Café Boerum at HoGMW Square calls itself a "café", it really is much more of a pastry shop.

Intellectual brawls between prominent "Ziehrers" and "Stögerers" are always an exciting event, either fought face-to-face in the neutral old pub or in journalistic exchanges. The goal of such quarrels is always the "complete destruction of the opponent through both facts and logic, though sometimes the discussion is of a more emotional than logical nature and at some point everyone involved would rather like to study their newspapers than their exhausted mess of an opponent", to quote the well-respected Pólaese author and Stögerer Dr. Herbert Mincedmeatsborough, who commonly takes part in such fights.

Another pillar of the Pólaese Café is the newspaper, as mentioned in the quote above. All newspapers currently being published in Ottacorp are available in all cafés to all guests at all times. A strange person sitting in a dark corner, slowly drinking a tiny cup of coffee while studying a large newspaper for hours is no uncommon sight, especially in Café Stögersteiner.

Following the war, a great number of Póla's intellectual were forced into hiding, fearing arrest due to previously published statements on Ostenbourg. The cafés of Póla became a meeting point for occupying soldiers. The formation of the Commonwealth made most return to their respective cafés, however, and Póla's intellectual scene seems to be recovering quickly.

### Canning

While canning yourself and others is today practiced by people all over Pannonia and every respectable household owns at least two cans, this tradition was started by melonists in New Póla. For canning one only needs three items: a composter (the body), a trapdoor (the head) and yourself or an unsuspecting person. The person is put inside the body of the can in a way that the lower half of the person is entirely inside the composter and not visible from the outside, then the trapdoor, the head, is closed and the person squeezed into the can. The following magic can not be described by words, it must be experienced.

### Ottakringer

    Ottakringer is a traditional type of beer produced in Ottakring, the place after which Ottakring Inc. is named. Aside from Ottakring proper, the holy, golden liquid that is Ottakringer is only produced and purchasable in the Old Ottakringer Pub in dbdb lviv at the moment. At the age of 16, every Ottacorpian boy must drink a liter of Ottakringer in the Old Pub to be recognized as a man and similarly according to tradition every new Chairman must drink a liter of the holy juice during his inauguration.

The pub is run by the Keeper of the Bar of all Ottakringer, Robert VI since the death of Robert V.

### Balls

The Pólaese Ball Season, starting in early December with the Most Noble Ball of the Throneman in the Ballhouse of dbdb lviv, is a series of ceremonial and social balls held in different places in Póla in winter. At a traditional Pólaese ball, men are required to either wear their official Ottacorp uniforms or white tie with orders and medals.

Below is a list of the most important balls during the Ball Season:

* The Most Noble Ball of the Throneman (Ballhouse)
* The Ball of the City of New Póla, New Wienchen and dbdb lviv (City Palace)
* The Ball of Justices (Department of Justice)
* The Ball of Sciences (Ballhouse)
* The Ottakringer Ball (Old Pub)
* The Ball of Officers (City Palace)
* St. Melonius Ball (Ballhouse)
* The Ball of International Train Lovers (Headquarters of the ISToL)
* The Ball of Naval Personnel (Admiralty)
* The Pólaese Opera Ball (planned, the Opera doesn't quite exist yet)
* The Pólaese Architects' Ball (headquarters of the Architects' Committee)
* The Artists' Ball (PoPCA)

### Musical Instrument Manufacturing

New Wienchen is home to three musical instrument manufacturers, making it the server's central hub for instrument manufacturing. The manufacturers are:

* Werner Piano Manufacturer, owned by CamilleRosillon
* Bösendorfer Piano Manufacturer, owned by Lord Mayor Wieniawsky
* Brasstastic Brass Instrument Store, owned by Pacal08

## Infrastructure

### Transportation

The Central Train Station of Póla (Póla Hauptbahnhof), designed and built by the Lord Mayor, is a major transportation hub of the Spawn Region, connecting the Wackel City-Póla Line to the Gambit-Outback Line, also being connected to the Póla-Nebelsbad Line through the station at Dr. Sperber Square in Karlstadt.

The Póla-Westbahnhof, also known as the Dr. Sperber Square station is a smaller station serving the districts of Karlstadt and Lerchenfeld. Its design is based off Viennese U-Bahn stations.

### Sewers

The Pólaese Department of Infrastructural Affairs is planning to build a large sewer system underneath the city, with a large sewage incineration plant near bedrock.

## Districts

### District 1: New Póla

    New Póla is the oldest district in the city.
The cityscape of New Póla is quite eclectic in character, its iconic structures are widely admired. Palace Square is the district's social centre and one of Póla's most important squares, being located near Lake Póla, the coast and the train station.

#### Landmarks

* The Monument to the Sea, a structure taken from Old Póla, honouring the great ocean at which Póla lies

* The Black Duck, the first house in Póla with one of the oldest domes of the server, making it a pilgrimage site for members of the dome lover's society, an iconic structure

* The port, with storage buildings and Obelisk of TadelWackel, dedicated to the legendary war hero TadelWackel, who most bravely and honourably defended the old empire against the savage hordes

* The City Palace, formerly used as the Palace of Justice of Ottacorp, has one of the server's oldest domes and Palace Square, the oldest square in Póla

* The Furnace Temple, a temple in the greek style, dedicated to the glory of furnacery

* Café Ziehrer, the oldest of Póla's famed cafés, a meeting point for intellectuals from all across the Serene Republic

* The Stables, a wooden structure known primarily for the two times it burned down in spring of 2021

* The Lighthouse, an iconic structure, offering a widely admired view of the Spawn Region to those who climb to its top floor

* The Sacred Llama Pit, the sacred pit of Llamas

* The Fish shop, owned by the great Porgsky, often given the adjective "wacky"

### District 2: New Wienchen

    New Wienchen is the second-oldest district in the city, named after Wienchen, a city in the old empire (see The Exodus).

    Most of New Wienchen is part of the Pólaese Justice Quarter, containing the Palace of Justice. The cityscape of New Wienchen is mainly characterized by a mixture of two-storey townhouses, which are mainly occupied by shops and their owners at the moment and monumental structures such as the Palace of Pólaese Cultural Affairs, the Department of Justice and the aforementioned Palace of Justice.

#### Landmarks

* The Palais de Justice with Square of Justice
* Café Stögersteiner
* Department of Justice
* Palace of Pólaese Cultural Affairs
* Lava Hub
* The headquarters of the Architects' Committee
* Pólaese Instrument Manufacturers

### District 3: dbdb lviv

    dbdb lviv is the third-youngest district in the city, named after an inside joke from the Discord Server.

The cityscape of dbdb lviv is mainly characterized by emptiness, as it is currently the least developed district in the city.

#### Landmarks

* The old Ottakringer Pub
* The Ballhouse
* Dr. Ötker Headquarters
* TadelWackel Villa Quarter (planned)
* Palais Voterfraud (under construction)
* Heinz Erhardt Monument
* Póla Castle (planned)

### District 4: Karlstadt

    Karlstadt is the second-youngest district, named after Blessed Karl.

#### Landmarks

* The Pólaese House of General Melon Worship (HoGMW)
* The Plague Column
* St. Jesus Church at Lutherplatz
* Póla Westbahnhof, connecting Póla to Nebelsbad, and Dr. Sperber Square
* Wagnerpark
* Deux Ponts Gate (planned)
* The Póla City Library and the Póla City Archive
* Daily Ziehrer Headquarters

### District 5: Lerchenfeld

Lerchenfeld, the youngest district of Póla, is located entirely on a hill. The district boasts light entertainment venues as well as sporting clubs. It is very popular among artists of questionable movements.

#### Landmarks

* Zweig Square and the stairs leading to it
* The Weinstube "Zur Reblaus"
* The Póla Comic Opera
* The Póla City Natatorium (planned)
* Pólaese Casino (planned)

## Development plans

* Incorporation of Nebelsbad into the city's infrastructure net
* Quarter surrounding the Comic Opera House
* Grand Boulevard leading to the State Opera House in what now is a birch forest
* Construction of villas at Nebelsbad
* Industry west of the lighthouse