Eisenmarkt

Eisenmarkt rose to prominence for three reasons. Firstly, it was always a part of the emperor's demesne, a part of the heartland formed by the Thirteen Cities confederation. Little records of the pre-imperial time that exist say that Eisenmarkt, known under a different name in a language that the Imperial Cult damned and consigned to oblivion, was prosperous even then.
Advantageously located on a riverway from the fabulously productive mines of Wigbold's Mountains, Eisenmarkt, as its name aptly tells, always thrived on trading in metal. Wood for coal was readily available, and the metals could be bought much more cheaply than almost anywhere else, so with the special imperial protection the city enjoyed, it was quickly populated by talented smiths, and soon Eisenmarkt blades became a sign of both affluence and good taste in weaponry. Eisenmarkt smiths profited from that greatly, receiving substantial commisions from individual buyers, most ofter Household or Life Guard soldiers and officers, and sometimes from ambitious officers and nobles that wanted their men to be armed with the best blades in the whole empire.
As the wealth of the city grew, so did the range of services its population could provide. Soon it was known not only as the city that produced best blades, but also the best armour, and the fuil plate that the emperors and subordinate princes wore on the battlefield invariably came from the smiths of Eisenmarkt.
With the advent of gunpowder, emperor himself started playing a big role in Eisenmarkt's economics. A foundry for guns and the first central arsenal - the Imperial Arsenal - were erected in the city, and most specialists in casting large pieces - mainly bell-casters - quickly found themselves in the lucrative imperial employment, casting cannons to the emperor's fascination and the demise of his enemies. Although initially the Arsenal only cast cannons, leaving small arms as things of lucre to intricate individual gunsmiths (which subsequently made fortunes on production of first just good guns, and then real masterpieces of their craft - uncannily precise and even rifled muskets, often with intricate and elaborate decorations), with the refinement of technology it was expanded to accommodate craftsmen that produced small arms for the Guard and the Praesental army, with individual smiths still handling other commissions. Thus Eisenmarkt, first the city of bladesmiths, and then of armoursmiths, became the city of just smiths, the industrial centre of the empire, and home to more universities than any other city except the capital Isenburg.
Although it suffered great damage during the plague and infighting following the death of emperor Willibald, Eisenmarkt was one of the first cities to recover, with the best of the remaining artisans and craftsmen flocking to it to find either lucre in their private work or a good employment at the Arsenal.
Despite all the devastation sometimes caused to the city, the Arsenal never ceased operations since its creation, and its tenacious regularity became the topic of a few popular sayings. It remains a big symbol of the ironworking that brought Eisenmarkt to greatness.

Type

City