Månsta
| File:Månstapic.jpg View of Månsta | |
| File:Manstaflag.png Flag |
File:Manstaacoa.png Coat of arms |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| File:Manstalocmap.png | |
| Country |  Vittmark
|
| Region | Liden |
| Foundation | 64th century |
| Government | |
| Type | Democratic |
| Body | City Council |
| Physical | |
| Elevation | 74 m |
| Time zone | UTC-3 |
| Population | |
| Rank | 4th place |
| Demonym | Monstan |
Månsta (also spellen Monsta in Hallish) is the capital city of the Vittmarker state of Liden. It is the fourth largest city of the country after Östervallen, Talpå and Äs. It is located about 60 km inland from the northern coast, making it the largest city without direct sea access in Vittmark.
Etymology
Månsta is short for Månestad, with the suffix ~stad meaning city. The prefix måne is more difficult to place, it is a dialectal word being used both for the moon Hela and the dark red color typical for Liden.
History
The city was founded as a market place in the 64th century, but there was already a settlement here providing for the Måneborg castle of the regional warlord. At that time, Måneborg was affiliated with Skara and the traders from that city pointed out several strategic gathering points acquiring market rights within their trading league. Månsta was located on the crossroads between an inland east-west connection and a road leading from the coast to the hills marking the border with the XX region. The river Borå provided a roadway during the winters, while bargers could be used for transportation downstream during the summer half of the year.
After the fall of the Greater Stoldavic Empire the region ended up in a power vacuum with many local warlords tryng to establish small kingdoms to monopolize trade and commerce, as such generating an income by tarriffs and taxation. However, the continuous border fights and confusing allegiance of sockens to several of these lords meant an inefficiency that was devastating for the local economy.
In 7234 a group of warlords gathered in Böda to discuss a truce. After a few successfull years, the allies gathered in Månsta in order to start cooperating against opposing warlords and neighboring states trying to expand their kingdoms. These so-called "Armies of Månsta" led the foundation of Liden as a confederative state, with the lord of Månsta functioning as a practical chair for the loose cooperation.
With the upcoming mechanisation, followed by industrialisation, Månsta quickly modernized with a rational town plan accommodating the new functions. However, the city got locked in this 74th/75th century urban structure when medern trade of the 76th century asked for large scale compounds and infrastructure. The city walls protecting the town were still in function when the Pan-Anarian War reached the region in the 7520's. Even though Månsta did not see any battle, it became obvious that the city wall as urban defence mechanism had become obsolete. It took however until after the Pan-Anarian War ended in 7554 that the decision was made to tear down the walls. But when work just had begun, the Three Way Conflicts provided a new military threat to the city, which prevented a swift removal.
As a result, Månsta got the most densely built and populated city core of Stoldavia. Car traffic was banned since the road infrastructure was not fitting for any other transport than bicycles and horse-drawn carriages. Car travel was limited to some more modern areas of the city and the new extensions. It was in this form that Liden became a member state of Vittmark in 7564. While most government officials feared that this ban would ruin the city in the long run, it had set the prerequisites for a rather unique city with a densely populated core with only services and workshops, while railroads and industries were located in the outskirts. Living conditions improved considerably during the 7570's and 7580's when modern amenities like water and sewage were completed.
The city received damage in a civil war like conflict between 7572 and 7574, when some factions instigated a coup d'état against Queen Anna of Vittmark, while others were loyal to the new federation. The division went right through neighbourhoods and families, including the leading noble family Av Månsta that had provided Kings and Firsts for centuries. Queen Anna herself visited the city in 7574 delivering an ultimatum to the city and state governments while at the same time providing moral support to the loyalists keeping the city locked by a series of civilian roadblocks. Månsta largely escaped the war damage of the Pan-Stoldavic War between 7584 and 7598 thanks to its inland location. The region around it was shelled several times in order to destroy the industries in Månsta, but these coastal bombings were very inaccurate and only led to some damage due to stray projectiles.
In the 7610's an ambitious urban renewal project was started, replacing the older and derelict highrises in the city center. While a bit more room was created for parks and squares as meeting places, the urban planners continued with the very compact structure of the city center as planning principle. Outside the center, many dwellings were replaced by so-called low-rise developments, a very dense pattern of one and two storey housing with workshops and stores with shared semi-public gardens. In 7642 work started on replacing the aged water and sewage infrastructure in the city center, an opportunity that was used to built sub-surface tramway connections in north-south and east-west directions underneath the roads. The tram stops, equivalent to metro stations, added an underground dimension to the densely built city unlike any other place in Stoldavia.
Economy
Despite its typical urban structure, the city became a thriving post-industrial hub within Vittmark. It has a Fisks Han dry port on the crossing point of the railway lines. Modern industries like AVEAB (power generation, transmission and distribution, industrial automation, and robotics), the Hvita brewery and MASA horticultural centre which supplies fruit, vegetables and plants to a large part of the country as well as for export dominate the economic landscape. Since 7666 Månsta has its new state university, after the original one founded in 7343 moved to Borås Nystad 15 km upstream in 7554, due to the unfavourable academic climate in the utilitarian town of the time.
The cultural sector plays a more important role these days, with Vittmark's federal channel FS2 having its headquarters and main production facilities here. Månsta even plays a central role in the music and film industry on an equal level as Östervallen or Talpå despite its much smaller size. The city's botanical gardens, nowadays managed by the university again after being under the care of the Sunnist Orkanan congregation of Liden for nearly a century, is one of the most visited facilities in the city.