Ravonian People's Estate

The **Ravonian People's Estate** (Polish: *Ludowa Dzierżawa Rawiańska*, Goral: *Ludôwo Rawiajsko Dziyr-zba*) is a polonophone IMC nation in South Central Europe.

## Ravonian People's Estate

### Motto

Szczęśliwy kto sobie Józefa ma za opiekóna (Happy is the one who has st. Joseph as his protector)

### Official Language(s)

Polish, Ravonian Goral (special protection)

### Ethnic Groups

Ravonian Gorals, Lachs, Ukrainians, Georgians

### Government

Neosanationist monarch (Starosta) led republic

### Establishment

15th October 1996, November 2022 government reformed

### National Animal

Goshawk

It claims it's heritage from the historical Ravonian Estate that was dissolved in 1952 by the Polish People's . It is known for its landscapes, culture and tourism.

## Demographics and culture

The majority ethnic group in the nation are Ravonian Gorals. The dominant languages are Polish and Ravonian Goral. Folk traditions are widely practiced and the majority of inhabitants own folk costumes. There are many folk artists with craftsmanship, especially woodwork being common. Ravian Goral culture arose in the dawn of the migrations into the Carpathians. The Wallach Slavic and even partially Romanised paleobalkan shepherds bought with them the majority of Ravonia's culture. Most Ravonian Gorals identify as Polish, Goral and Ravonian. Important Ravonian Goral symbols include: Luboj, the klobuk hat, gynśle, sheep Ever since the 19th century, there has been a migration of Lachs (Poles from outside the region) into Ravonia, bringing with them their own culture. There's also a large Ukrainian and Georgian minority which arrived in the 2000s. The majority of inhabitants subscribe to the Ravian Catholic Parish which is a Roman and nominally Greek rite Catholic Church. Ravonia was ecclesiastically dependant on Olshland until 1996 when Raba gained full independence. The native languages to Ravonia are Polish and Ravonian Goral, a standardised dialect of the Polish langauge with it's own literature. It is under special protection due to risks of dying out and cultural significance. It was the majority langauge of Ravonia until the 1980s. The variety of Polish in Ravonia differs in spelling , pronunciation and conjugation. Ravonian Polish uses tém, wéro, Jakób, ogurek, Gabryel as opposed to Mainland Polish tym, wyro, Jakub, ogórek, Gabriel. Ravonian Polish also uses an initial stress pattern as opposed to the varying Mainland Polish stress pattern. This is one of the influences from Ravonian Goral. There is also influence in conjugation for example R. pl *do śniega* vs M. pl *do śniegu*. Colloquially, many Ravonian Goral words are also used like *ka* (where) *nale* (but) *idze* (go away). The vast majority of Ravonians speak Polish. An estimated 18% speak Ravonian Goral daily however around 70% know the langauge and 98% are estimated to have some knowledge of it.

## History

The first mentions of Ravonia come from the 13th century. Ravonia used to live off a mining, farming and pastoral economy.

From the records of Jan Długosz, we learn that in the 13th century the areas along the Ravia were handed over to the management of the Cistercian order from Sciricum. Until incorporation into the Austrian Empire, Ravonia was part of the free Goral crownlands. This meant Ravonians, like most Gorals were free of feudalism and taxes. This caused a culture of freedom to arise. Warlord mercenaries called zbojniks arose. They would fight different empires including Hungarian, Austrian and Polish nobility. Parallels can be drawn to the Ukrainian Cossacks which were historically their allies. The first mention of Ravonia comes from court records from 1407–1408, which document a dispute between Ravonia and Harklowa. In the 16th century, the nation belonged to the Estate of Nowy Targ. In 1534, the administrators of the Estate, the Pieniążek dynasty, divided it into three so-called keys: msanene, Nowy Targ and gorcan. Ravonia became part of the msanene lands. After that Ravonia came into Olshland's dependency. In the 19th century, the Ravonia independence movement began. In a beautiful park with old trees, Francis Borow built a small palace in the neoclassical style, beginning the semi-independent period of Ravonia. In 1905, the palace was purchased and renovated by Starosta Jano Chomentowski. In one of the rooms in the manor, a small chapel was arranged, available to the inhabitants of the nation. This chapel was consecrated by Archbishop Adam Sapieha. The period of World War II was a time of activity of the resistance movement and partisans. The retreating Nazis destroyed the bridges on the Ravia and burned most of the nation. The post-war period is a time of reconstruction and development of the village. At that time, the Michalici priests also came to Ravonia, who established an educational institution for difficult boys in the Chomentowski manor, which operated until 1952. The communists kicked out the priests and confiscated the land. They turned the palace into a communist center with the patronage of Lenin. In 1957, a decision was made to build a church in the center of the nation on the initiative of the Franciscans. This was achieved only in 1970. The process of granting independence to Ravonia began. An armed conflict broke out that lasted until 2000. On November 14, 1982, it was officially detached with the editing of a completely separate parish from Olshland. The church was significantly enlarged and rebuilt in 1989–1994.

## Geography and climate

Ravonia is divided into 3 historical regions:

Lower Ravonia (Dolna Rawa, Dôlnio Rawa)

Central Ravonia (Centralna Rawa, Cyntralno Rawa)

Upper Ravonia (Górna Rawa, Górno Rawa)

Ravonia is located in the Ravian river valley with the Luboj massive and Lubojska Podgóra forming it's northern border and the southern bank of the Ravia river forming the southern border. The north and west of the country is mountainous meanwhile the south east is flat. Ravonia's highest peak is Luboj at 1022m of height. The mountain is considered a landmark and the most visited attraction in the nation. It is home to the Luboj nature reserve with sweeping views, trails with varying difficulty and over 14 caves. Ravonia has warm stormy summers with freezing winters. Ravonia's climate can only sustain a handful of crops including: barley, oats, grapevine, raspberries, potatoes, cabbage and other fruits.