Wërtot

Wërtot's old town

***Tä qhlntä iëst dustyplä nä Kwnatsköm tut.*** *This page is available in Kwnat here*
Wërtot (Finnish - *Vertottii*) is a city in Kwitzka with a population of 411k. It is the capital of the Cjöbqni province.

## History

Wërtot was founded in early 19th century by Polish settlers. The city's location was selected due to the Ögczjögby River. The city experienced a growth in population during the World Wars, mostly from Finnish people seeking assylum in Kwitzka. In the 1950s, natural gas fields were discovered under the city, which sparked its industrialization. The gas has nearly entirely run out by the 1980s, which made the city change to focus on the service sector and production of goods.

In 1995 the city became the capital of new Cjöbqni province.

### Name

Wërtot's first and oldest name was *Wertczewyce*, made by the first Polish settlers. The Kwnat name *Wërtot* became the official name of the city around the 1850s.

The Finnish name of *Vertottii* first appeared among Finnish refugees during the interwar period.

## Geography

Wërtot is located on the Ögczjögby River in central Cjöbqni. The city is located ~60km away from the coast.

### Climate

Wërtot is located in the Temperate Oceanic Cold climate. Rains are most common during the summer months.

## Demographics

Wërtot is home to the largest Finnish minority in the country. They make up about 10% of the total city's population. Other minorities include the Spanish (4%) and Poles (3%).

## Culture

Wërtot's culture is heavily influenced by the Finnish culture thanks to the large Finnish minority in the city.

### Museums

Most of the largest museums in Cjöbqni are located in Wërtot, the biggest of which being the Museum of Kwitzkan Nature located inside the Wërtot botanical garden. Other noteable museums include the Museum of Finnish Culture, Wërtot Modern Art Museum and Transportation Museum.

### Theatres

Wërtot has 2 major theatres: The Cjöbqni Theatre and the Q-Theatre. The Cjöbqni Theatre focuses on classical performances while the Q-Theatre puts more focus on modern work and contemporary performances.

### Music

Wërtot houses several music bands, musical venues and musical events. Some of the most important musical events of the country and the province are hosted in the city, such as the annual *Khyjús* open-air music festival.

## Economy

Wërtot has one of the largest GDP per capita scores in all of Kwitzka, standing at about $51,928, which also makes it the highest in the province of Cjöbqni, closely followed by Dduqlä.

### Industry

Between the 1950s and 1980s the city's economy was mostly reliant on natural gas extraction. The gas fields were starting to run out in the late '70s, which forced the city to change its direction. Alongside focusing more on its services sector, the city began production of other things. For a brief moment in the '80s Wërtot would have the largest vehicle assembly hall in the Kwitzka-Bayland-Lustar region, assembling private vehicles, busses and some trucks.

Wërtot is one of the hubs of high-tech industry in Kwitzka, employing about 15% of the city's total population. The city houses the largest computer parts factory in the region and also has a large IT workforce.

## Transportation

### Road transport

Wërtot is located on top of the S3 expressway towards Nqlät and Tereffút and the S32 expressway to Dduqlä.

Busses and trolleybuses in the city are operated by Wërtot Mëstqa Komunikaciä, which operates 8 trolleybus lines and 51 bus lines. Most trolleybuses were produced by Solaris, while the busses were produced mainly by Solaris, MAN and Iäna. Dduqläbus, the bus operator from Dduqlä operates an intercity bus to Dduqlä.

### Railways

Wërtot is located on the KPQ-owned Tereffút Line and has a direct rail line to Dduqlä operated by Szybkä Liniën AQ, in which the government of Wërtot has a 35% share.

The city's main railway station is Wërtot Cëntr, located in the center of the city. The railway station is used by both KPQ and SL. It was renovated in 2022 alongside the construction of Szybkä Liniën.

### Bicycle transport

In 2014, the city launched a program to improve the conditions of biking in the city in the hopes of moving people from cars and back then commonly crowded busses onto bicycles. Three main goals were set: doubling the number of cyclists in the city by 2019, the accident rate of cyclists lowered by half and establishement of biking as an everyday means of transport.

In terms of infrastructure, the city has the second longest total lenght of bicycle lanes, only behind Nqlät. The number of bicycle lanes has nearly tripled since introduction of the program in 2014.

## Parks and nature

Wërtot has several parks ranging in size from tens of square meters to tens of hectares. The city is also full of green zones that are not designed as parks or nature reserves.

Some of the most known parks include:

* Änkhänkhyj Pärq, built in the late 1800s is the oldest park in Wërtot
* Slytnyj Pärq is the largest park in the city, being almost 100 ha large
* Wërtot Botanical Garden is one of the largest botanical gardens in Kwitzka, being made in 1950s
* Reëjnyj Pärq, located on top of the former gas power plant

## Sport

Wërtot has two stadiums, the first one being the Wërtot's City Stadium, used for playing football, and the smaller Wërtot Spöqbäl Stadium, used for playing Spöqbäl. The city has its own football and Spöqbäl clubs, but neither have yet managed to win any championships.

## Education

Wërtot has a chemistry university, which is ranked as the best in the country in that category, which is also the largest school in Cjöbqni, with almost 15.000 students. The city also has multiple middle and primary schools. Some schools offer lessons in Finnish.

## Energy

Wërtot was the first place to have a nuclear power plant in Kwitzka. It was built between 1988 and 1993 by the Ögczjögby River. It was formally opened on 1.03.1993. The power plant helped produce electricity for the city, province and the rest of the country. It is now one of the 2 nuclear power plants in Kwitzka.

The previous gas power plant has been demolished, which lead to a huge improvement of air quality in the city.

### Opposition to the construction of the Wërtot nuclear power plant

The construction had a relatively strong movement against its construction. The movement was trying to stop construction due to the possibility of a reactor meltdown, often recalling the 1986 disaster in Chernobyl and the problem of nuclear waste disposal. The movements were however unsuccessful and the construction began as planned.

## Media

Wërtot serves as the headquarters of most of the province's main media outlets, having almost 50 newspapers, 95 professional magazines, 3 local radio stations and a regional TV station. Most noteable newspapers are the *Cjöbqni Gazët*, *Wërtoten* *Gazët* (in Kwnat and Finnish) and *Lokalnä*. The city, outside of the Kwnat language stations, has also two radio stations in Finnish owned by Yleisradio.