Frehmenwerth

Frehmenwerth (/freɪmənveːɐ̯t/; Lagyar: Vrémenverda, /vreːmɛnvɛɹdɒ/) is the capital of the Most Serene Federation of Hendalarsk, located in the centre of the Hendalarsk Capital Territory. Home to around 2,400,000 people, it is the third-largest city in Hendalarsk after Wrzeszcz-Kokoszki and Zalgisbeck. The nation's political hub, Frehmenwerth is also the key commercial entrepôt of the Upper Zalgis and serves as the gateway to southwestern Hendalarsk for domestic and international traffic from both the north and the east of the country.

Located in the centre of Hendalarsk at around 800 metres above sea level, Frehmenwerth has a relatively mild climate, in no small part due to the moderating influence of the prevailing southwesterly wind; this also has the less desirable effect of making the city one of the windiest in Hendalarsk, as air is funnelled through the valley in which the city sits. The Zalgis remains ice-free in the city year-round, a factor which contributed to its early significance and prosperity, although floes have been known to drift north from the more mountainous land to the south in especially harsh winters.

First mentioned in texts in 378 AD and likely founded substantially earlier, Frehmenwerth is widely held to be one of the oldest Gothic cities in Hendalarsk, and has been prominent in Hendalarskara politics and culture since its foundation. The city's sacred grove, located on an island in the middle of the Zalgis, was (and remains) a key devotional site in traditional Hendalarskara religion, and now forms the core of the Frehmenwerth Memorial Park commemmorating the Hendalarskara Civil War.

Although it has become displaced as the nation's primary economic hub in recent decades by Zalgisbeck, with the latter's position on the Vandarch at the mouth of the Zalgis driving its growth, Frehmenwerth remains the home of the national stock exchange, the HenBürs, as well as the site of many ministries and institutes of government. Most foreign governments have their primary diplomatic bases in the city's World Quarter (Weltviertel), while the Lagyar Quarter (Lungarviertel) on the banks of the Zalgis is the nation's greatest concentration of classical culture in the form of museums, theatres, galleries and concert venues, and is consequently a very popular destination for tourists. The Maximilianic University, Hendalarsk's most prestigious educational institution, is one of several universities and technical colleges located in the city, while Frehmenwerthers are regularly ranked the most educated people in Hendalarsk. The city's rent controls have helped to keep its cost of living in line with other major Hendalarskara cities - at a level which is unusually low for a capital city - and this has ensured its consistent status as the country's most liveable city in many surveys.

Religion
Frehmenwerth is the seat of the Thearch of the Hendalarskara Catholic Church, the supreme ecclesiastical authority of the Frehmenwerther faith. Sankt-Nikolaus-Kirche is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Frehmenwerth, and the Thearch is thus often referred to as the Archbishop of Frehmenwerth. Conclaves to elect a new Thearch are likewise held in the church upon the previous incumbent's death, resignation or deposition, and pilgrims flock to Frehmenwerth from across the nation for open-air services in the adjoining Maximilian's Square at key occasions in the ecclesiastical calendar such as Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and the Day of the Waters.

Sport
Frehmenwerth is the association footballing capital of Hendalarsk, home to three established Bundesliga sides and many additional lower-division teams. Lagyaria Vrémenverda, often known as Lagyaria for short, represent the city's prominent Lagyar minority, while Frehmenwerther Kickers and Rapid-Frehmenwerth are two of the most successful sides in the country's history, regularly qualifying for continental competition and challenging for major honours. Their rivalry, contested in the Capital Derby, is arguably the league's fiercest, while both clubs also maintain a friendlier rivalry with Lagyaria. FK-FK-Arena, Frehmenwerther Kickers' stadium, is additionally one of the largest sporting venues in the country, and is home to many of the male and female national teams' fixtures.

Other sports, while not as popular as football, enjoy some popularity in the capital. Baseball does not have the same domestic prominence as in other Levantine nations like Urcea, but the Frehmenwerther Phalanx are the most well-supported team in the country.