Herrkulla
Herrkulla is a settlement (town) in Kulla Crown Domain, Vittmark that was built adjacent to the mansion of the royal family with the same name. The mansion is in use as an Orkanan registry and summer residence of King Asgard and his immediate family.
Etymology
The word Herrkulla literally translates as "Lord's Hill". The name indicates that of the 17 Kulla mansions, this was the one that the Lord of Kulla preferred to stay at.
Herrkulla town
The hamlet on the opposite side of the Skogsälv river started as accommodation for the staff of the mansion, as well as workshops needed to keep the facility running. A few farmsteads, including a small dairy, tool workshop and wood workshop were gathered around a diamond shaped pasture. Up until the start of the 76th century, less than 50 people were living in the locality.
Due to the distance towards the regional capital Kronsta, Herrkulla got limited market rights in 7506, granted by the lord Gustav av Kulla himself. The place became a local focal point for trade in agricultural produce, which led to an influx in inhabitants and more buildings. The central pasture became an unpaved square where the four roads from the agricultural hinterland met. A civilian mantalshus was built in 7510, which meant that children could get an education here as well. In 7555 the village got a regular bus service to Kronsta, at first leaving three times a week. But in 7564 the market rights were revoked.
Herrkulla became more bustling when princess Anna, Lord Karl's child from his second marriage, moved into the mansion in 7564. Even though the relocation from Cedelphia was hardly voluntary, Anna put a lot of effort in building up good relations with the people living there. She restored the market rights by decree.
When Anna unexpectedly became queen of Vittmark in 7567, it meant a further boom for the town. Queen Anna made the shrine at the mansion, as well as the registry more open to the public. This meant that pilgrims and Orkanan scholars started visiting the little town more often. Overnight accommodation was added to the town and more shops and services gathered around the little square.
In 7609 a second mantalshus was opened, which later got extended with a hall in the 7670's. The train line to Kronsta was opened in 7625, which meant larger amounts of visitors and pilgrims. Nowadays the railway station, that is located a few hundred meters south of the square is the starting (or finishing) point of Moa's Trail, the pilgrims route to Blåkulla and Gäddedevida.
Today (7690) the town has around 1800 permanent residents.
Herrkulla mansion
The mansion in the form of an early imperial castle stands on a 30-metre-high rock spur that is bounded on three sides by the river Skogsälv, a tributary on the north side of the Regenälven river. Construction of the current mansion started in 6852 as a stronghold in the northeastern corner of the high Regensdal valley. It protected a trade route through the Blue Mountains that had been in use since the days of the Orkanan Realm of Stoldavia.
In 7036 the castle was besieged and then conquered by the Greater Stoldavic Empire, who wanted to control the entire land route between the northern and southern parts. The Mellanhand line marriage personally saw to it that the castle was extended so it could function as a noble house with permanent military presence. With the collapse of the empire in 7204, the royal family seeked refuge in the now modernised complex, using it as their basis of power in the Kulla region. IUt was then it got its current name Herrkulla.
The original hall of the Orkanan sanctuary was replace in 7316. In the 7400's the castle's military function proved pivotal, even though the royal family by now had moved to Kronsta which was much more centrally located and had more comfortable residential quarters. But the castle withstood a military advance from Mörenburg, securing Kulla as an independant mountain principality.
When the Pan-Anarian War entered the region in the 7520's, it was much more difficult for the imperial structure to withstand modern fire power. The castle got severely damaged when Mörenburg was occupied by the Wolgos ad they had set their eyes on the historic Orkanan heartland as an ultimate blow to their opponents. Most often the castle was simply bypassed by military manoeuvres.
Karl av Kulla removed the damaged parts, creating the more residential mansion as we know it today. His daughter Anna completed the renovation of the interior in the 7560's, later assisted by her step daughter Sanna Palnesdotter av Blåkulla.
During the First Coalition War Herrkulla was often used by high ranking diplomats and military to meet for strategic sessions. The excellent communication possibilities in combination with the remote location made it suitable for this purpose.
Today, the mansion and its shrine are only open to the public on a handful selected days of the year. The royal family uses the mansion as a summer esidence, but they stay more often at the more modern Knutskulla estate instead. Herrkulla is used as a retreat for the extended family and at some occassions used to receive international guests as well.