Cities

The origins of Bilgrad Na Moru (Cyrillic: Билград на Мору, romanized: Bilgrad na Moru, German: Burg auf See) can be traced back to the 11^th century when the islands were subject to frequent raids by Vikings. As all other parts of the western coast of Lesh island were already well defended by fortified towns, or inaccessible due to steep banks, the flat plains and gentle, sandy beaches surrounding present-day Bilgrad Na Moru were an ideal landing spot. The Vikings would ambush merchants traveling between the port towns of Chernovar and Shtangrad and occasionally raid them or even venture further inland. Viking weapons and artifacts have been discovered as far as present-day Novi Dvor.

The problem had become so severe that the Vikings had even established a permanent settlement on the beach. Following numerous battles, the Vikings were eventually driven out by King Lev’s army toward the end of the 11^th century, thanks to which he also became known as King Lionhart. King Lev had a stone fortress constructed on the site in 1070 to prevent further Viking invasions. The fortress was further upgraded over the years but was destroyed in a fire in 1240 following King Haakon IV of Norway’s unsuccessful attempt to conquer the islands. Only fragments of the fortress’ walls remain standing to this day.

The area surrounding the fortress was subsequently settled by local peasants and the town became known as Bilgrad Na Moru, which translates to, “there was a castle on the sea”.

During industrialization in the 18^th century, the city underwent gentrification and expansion due to wealthy, middle-class merchants deciding to settle there to escape the filth and noise of Branibor.

The origins of the town’s name are unknown, first appearing in the book Chronicles of Novistrana written by explorer, philosopher, pedagogue, and theologian Slavomir Popov in the 9^th century. Based on archaeological excavations, the city has been inhabited by humans since the Neolithic Period. Historically, the town has been a significant point of commerce as artifacts belonging to the Gutes have been discovered in the area, indicating that the town was a port used to trade with the neighboring island of Gotland and possibly Rus' merchants due to various artifacts from the Abbasid Caliphate also being discovered.

The town suffered from frequent raids by Vikings up until the end of the 11^th century.

During the period of the Black Death in Europe between 1348 and 1351, the Kingdom of Rustavia (present-day Taviana SSR) saw a large influx of Jews fleeing persecution in the German lands. The majority of Jews settled in the south of Bukvats island, as well as the western coast of Lesh island, mainly in Chernovar (Cyrillic: Черновар, romanized: Černovar). The Jews became a source of great prosperity over the next two centuries known as The Great Rustavia Renaissance and turned Chernovar into a major shipping port between present-day Taviana and the German lands. The immigration of Jews to Chernovar increased and a large synagogue (The Great Synagogue) was constructed in the city in 1890 on the site of an older, much smaller synagogue at a cost of 160,000 silver ruble coins. The Great Synagogue (Cyrillic: Велика синагога, romanized: Velika sinagoga, Yiddish: די גרויסע שול, romanized: di groyse shul) became the 3^rd largest in Europe. During World War II, the port was expanded to accommodate larger vessels of the Kriegsmarine which used the port to refuel and carry out repair work.

In the aftermath of World War II, the Great Synagogue which miraculously remained unscathed was nationalized by the Communist government and turned into a museum.

A bronze statue of Marshal Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky, commander of 3^rd Belorussian Front of the Red Army which liberated Taviana during the Baltic strategic offensive was erected in front of the Great Synagogue in the Victory Square in 1948.

As the Cold War gained traction, the Soviet Air Forces deemed it necessary to be able to reach major cities in Western Europe with nuclear-capable bombers as quickly as possible. As the Taviana SSR is the westernmost region of the Soviet Union laying just a few hundred kilometers from major cities of NATO member states and their allies, such as Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and the major West German port of Hamburg; it was decided in that a new 1007^th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment would be added to the 106^th Heavy Bomber Air Division and stationed in the Taviana SSR.

For that to take place, a new military airport was constructed on the flatlands, west of lake Slyepats (Cyrillic: Слѥpac, romanized: Sljepac) in 1978; along with a prefabricated city based on the successful model of Mitrovice to house the pilots, officers, and supporting personnel. The city is complete with a hotel for visiting commanders, a luxury shopping center, school, hospital, fire, and police stations. A highway runs through the city, allowing for easy access to the airbase, ship ports, and Bukvats island. The city was named Krasnoznamensk (Cyrillic: Краснознаменск, romanized: Krasnoznamensk) in honor of the Main Test and Space Systems Control Centre having just been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (Russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени СССР) in the year prior.

Laying just 100 meters (328 ft) above sea level on the Bashka Luka (Cyrillic: Башка Лука, romanized: Baška Luka) plateau, Kryvoe (Cyrillic: Кривое, romanized: Kryvoe, German: Krummstadt) has been a significant center of commerce and agriculture since the Neolithic Period thanks to its mild climate, surrounding flatlands and nearby lake Bled (Cyrillic: Блед, romanized: Bled), which make it ideal for human habitation and farming.

Kryvoe was first mentioned in the book Chronicles of Novistrana written by explorer, philosopher, pedagogue, and theologian Slavomir Popov in the 9^th century. Popov described the town as, “a bastion overflowing with milk and honey, surrounded by lush trees bearing fruits of all kinds”. The town featured numerous inns, a market, numerous farms with livestock, and a brewery.

Archeological excavations carried out during the construction of a supermarket in 1974 uncovered human remains and artifacts dating back to 10,000 BCE; confirming that Kryvoe has indeed been inhabited by humans since at least the Neolithic period.

In the 13^th century, the Kryove parish was created, encompassing Kryvoe and the surrounding villages. In 1720 Kryvoe was given royal city status by King Solibor who also had castle Bled constructed, the ruins of which still overlook the town. A royal garrison of troops was stationed at the castle. In present times, the military heritage of Kryvoe continues with the 101^st Mechanised Infantry Regiment still based in barracks near the town.

During industrialization in the 18^th century, a brick factory was built by local businessman Abraham Arazim which remained in operation until the outbreak of World War II. The factory was converted into a warehouse after the 1^st Luftwaffe Field Division set up HQ in the town. Kryvoe was personally visited by Oberst Gustav Wilke.

The factory was nationalized by the Communist government following World War II and the production of bricks resumed.

World War II caused vast urban destruction in the Soviet Union. In addition to that, rapid industrialization caused vast numbers of people to migrate to urban centers from the countryside. Coupled with a population boom as a result of advances in medicine, mass production, and agriculture, this caused overcrowding and gave way to a major housing crisis.

In the late 1950s, the Communist Party set out to resolve the housing crisis with the expansion and construction of new cities using low-cost buildings built out of mass-produced, prefabricated concrete slabs (known as panelaks in the Taviana SSR). This would also demonstrate to the world how communism can rapidly improve the quality of citizens’ lives.

The Taviana SSR was chosen as a testing ground and a site wаs selected near the village of Shtangrad, where a sample prefabricated city would be built called Mitrovice (Cyrillic: Митровице, romanized: Mitrovice) to house workers from the nearby port. The goal was to quickly build a city with all the necessary infrastructure to sustain itself; such as a hospital, school, shopping center, parks, etc., The city was to be fully heated with waste hot water from a small coal electric power plant located in the northern part of the city. The coal was to be delivered to the plant by rail. Construction commenced in 1954 and finished in 1956. It proved to be a success, and cities like this were added to existing cities throughout the Soviet Union and its satellite states. These new additions to existing cities were called micro rayons (micro-regions).