Innsbruck
Nestled in a series of deep valleys amongst the spectacular heights of the Tershaw Range, Innsbruck appears a rough and tumble city. It climbs up the valley walls in a series of terraces to meet the Saguaro forests on the slopes and plateaus, and flows down to belching refineries and slag hills on the valley floors. These twisting streets and the chaotic mix of houses, factories, and pubs reflects the nature of Innsbruckers themselves.
The city is defined by three things: mining, beer, and motor sports. Two thirds of the population rely on the mines for a living and after a day down the pit, most of the workers need a drink. With the miner's drinking came brewing, and Innsbruck is now the brewing capital of the north, and quite possibly the world. Why Innsbruckers are addicted to loud motor sports is unknown, but the city rings to the roar of engines and its many and varied tracks host a multitude of events and clubs.
Founded in TN 530 by a mining consortium, Innsbruck attracted tough people who relied only on themselves. As they built a home, Innsbruckers proved a rough lot, working hard, drinking hard and playing even harder. The face of Innsbruck grew to reflect their tough-minded independence as the inhabitants objected to obeying anything so petty as building ordinances. The city's work ethic allowed it to prosper as it dragged the mineral wealth out of the Tershaws, but at a cost in blood. Indeed, thousands of miners died over the centuries because of poor colonial working conditions. During Reconstruction, Innsbruck was able to defend itself against its enemies (usually Kenema) and became part of the shortlived Tershaw Cooperative Alliance; Innsbruck accepted integration with the NLC in TN 1568, the first TCA city-state to do so. Innsbruck boomed after it joined because foreigners started moving to the city to secure a share of the wealth. Several other waves of immigration have hit the city-state and despite the fact that some "newcomers" have been in the city for generations, they are still largely seen as outsiders by the conservative core of the city's social scene.
While old time Innsbruckers and those migrants who have assimilated the lifestyle of the city live happily in the close, maze-like confines of the hill terraces, other Norlights have built planned suburbs on the valley floors and complain bitterly about the industrial developments that also congregate there. This geographic division reflects deeper schisms between the largely working-class "real Innsbruckers" who still derive much of their income from the mines and the more diversified community of immigrant stock.
The relatively fragile social and political balance between "real" and "immigrant" Innsbruckers is fraying at an increasing pace thanks to divisions along religious lines, especially among the younger, more radical generation. The brutal turf war between the Forzi and Kolson criminal cartels is also acerbating the problem, leading to calls for a greater control of the traditionally rough-and-tumble terraced neighborhoods. Most old-time Innsbruckers see this only as another way of controlling and restricting them, creating additional tensions.
Demographics
Innsbruck is a divided community; the traditional hard working, hard drinking and hard fighting Innsbrucker is under assault from the immigrants from the rest of the NLC who tend towards social, religious and political conservatism. This division is most obvious in the nickname of "Mite Skags" which the old-timers have given the immigrants because of the neat, ordered suburbs so many of them have created on the valley floors. The traditional Innsbruck rowdiness is threatened by the Mites, who have called for a stricter enforcement of league morality laws. The most contentious of these proposed limits is centered around the opening hours of the city's many pubs. Tempers are fraying amongst old timers and more than one voice can be heard saying joining the NLC was a mistake. The Mites now almost match the old timers in numbers, however, and with the Church providing organizational help, the old timers may lose power at the next election.
The Mites' areas of the city are similar to any other middle class suburb in the NLC, and are calm, ordered communities centered around the local church. Old timers live in the crowded and lively confines of the valley terraces in a manner reminiscent of the colonial period. Truth be told, both communities share much in common. Both are reliant on the mines, and in event of an accident, both rush to help without thought or care for other problems. Both tend to be argumentative, both enjoy a good draft of lager, and both are addicted to motor sports. Reconstruction in Innsbruck was a late (and partial) conversion to Revisionism, however, and a limited role for the Church has become part of the old timer refrain. This attitude has only exacerbated conflict between the two halves of the city-state, transforming a societal divide into a religious matter in the eyes of several conservative Mite leaders.
The rise in violent crime caused by the Forzi-Kolson cartel war has made matters even worse. Protection rackets and illegal bars are common in the old terraces and blood has begun to be spilled as the cartels carve up the territory. This has fed into Mite views of the immoral terraces and given them more political leverage.
Government
Method of Goverment: Representative Democracy
Innsbruck has traditionally been a stronghold of the People's Party. At the last city elections in TN 1931 old timers deserted the People's Party after the municipal affiliate heavily courted Revisionist Mites. Instead they voted for the former Gear racing champion, Jonni Holdsworth and his Innsbruck First Party. While Innsbruck First won, the People's Party led by Sister Kari Smits came a close second. The transformation of the People's Party municipal power-base is largely seen as a preparation for the next league elections.
Jonni Holdsworth Holdsworth is everything Revisionist hate about traditional Innsbruck culture. He drinks, swears and womanizes openly, much to the amusement of old timers. Council meetings often dissolve into shouting matches as Kari Smits attacks Holdsworth for his lifestyle. While a capable planner and keen promoter of his city's interests, Holdsworth seems to be encouraging the conflict in the city. In typical no-nonsense fashion, the mayor has not shied away from naming the Second Follower as his political opponent. In a recent interview, when questioned about his views on the church, he replied that "Hutchison prays on his knees and his neighbors, and if he keeps pushing true Innsbruckers he'll need all the prayers he can muster." Holdsworth's hard core of old-timer followers supported his comments, but many in both the terraces and the valley suburbs were outraged at such belligerence towards a religious leader. The Council of Mayors considered and ultimately rejected a motion to officially admonish Holdsworth, but he has issued a few mildly apologetic press releases on the matter.
President Adjanni is increasingly concerned about Innsbruck First's activities, because of pro-independence comments made by the mayor's entourage and because of the challenge to People's Party dominance in the city-state. Her local advisors assure her that Holdsworth is becoming somewhat of a local joke, a sports star with dreams of political grandeur. She has nevertheless directed the Norlight Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and NorPol to investigate rumors of the mayor stocking arms for a "free Innsbruck militia."
Industry & Trade
Principal Industries
- Mining
- Heavy industries
- Brewing
Brewries and Mines
The mining industry built Innsbruck and remains the backbone of its economy. More than half of the population works for the mines that surround the city-state and most others are employed by the large number of secondary industries associated with them. Beyond the huge steel refineries, local factories also produce mining equipment, military grade armor, explosives and tons of refined precious or semi-precious metals in ingot form for export to the rest of the Confederated Northern City-States.
Despite the importance of mining, the city is now best known for its breweries. Beers, lagers and ales flow from no less then twenty different enterprises, ranging from small local "micro-breweries" to the huge Cascade Beer Company brewery in the eastern quarter of the city-state. This industry employs fewer locals than the mines, but has gained the city-state an international reputation and is considered part and parcel of the "old timer" image of Innsbruck.
The city's obsession with motor sports is also starting to turn a profit as trideo rights via the Hermes 72 network take Innsbruck's racing to the world. While Gear racing and dueling, motorcycle racing and drag cars have had professional teams competing along with the many amateur competitors, they were the exception not the rule. Now Innsbruck is rapidly becoming the center of Terranovan motor sports and many professional teams are being started in the city. The number of specialist manufacturers either beginning or moving to the city also grows every season.
The success of Innsbrucker industries has built some very impressive fortunes in the city. Jakob Fenris, of Fenris Breweries, owns the largest Local mansion, hidden in the saguaro forests overlooking the city. Some have commented that the rich benefit greatly from the Mite/old-timer conflict, which prevents large scale union action.
Tourism
Speed Week
Introduced by Jonni Holdsworth, Speed Week is proving massively popular with motor sports fanatics all over Terra Nova. The last week of every summer is set aside for a series of professional and amateur competitions culminating in the Death Track 1000. Other events held include the Fenris Lager Duelist's Challenge (fought in the traditional military fashion), Rhodes Mining Superbike Championship (road motorcycle races), and the Skadi Mills Touring Car Rally (an endurance race through the mountains and forests in and around Innsbruck). In between major events, the tracks are open to any person with a vehicle.
Speed Week has been so successful in drawing tourists that at least half the 300,000 visitors must camp. The city's breweries now run at full production for a month beforehand after the disaster of the first event which saw the city run out of beer on the fourth day. Innsbruck makes a fortune from the event and Mayor Holdsworth] makes sure that the government's share of that money is specifically used to help the poor of the city. Thus both economically and socially Speed Week i s a huge boon for the city.
Some locals, especially members of the Mite middle-class, have complained that the event encourages public drunkenness and rowdy behavior; these critics have tried repeatedly to wave the moral banner of Revisionism, but several church leaders have come out in support of the event. Indeed, the money raised for the needy of Innsbruck casts the whole event as a huge charity party. Mite complaints actually have probably more to do with the fact that their valley homes are often uncomfortably close to the speedways and their noises.
Maps
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Innsbruck
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