Goslar (The Kalmar Union)

The Imperial City of Goslar, Goslar, is a free imperial city in the Holy Roman Empire. It is bordered by Magdeburg, Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, Brunswick and Stolberg. It has a population of around 27,000.

The official language is German.

It uses the Imperial Mark (HRM).

History
A mining town since Roman times, Goslar was patronised by successive Holy Roman Emperors who built an imposing Imperial palace. It would host numerous conferences and synods during its imperial heyday.

Goslar's mineral wealth, especially in silver, effectively bought its independence, but the rights given to it by the Emperors were jealously regarded by its neighbours and it was frequently beseiged by the Dukes of Brunswick and Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. However it had already built formidable fortifications to protect against robber barons and could resist the more intense attacks of its larger neighbours.

The victory of the Schmalkaldic League over the Emperors ensured Goslar kept their rights over mining and its forest estates which were close to being lost to Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. Utterly surrounded by League territory it had little choice but to join and was soon Lutheran.

During the Fifty Years War it attempted to stay neutral but was sacked repeatedly until captured and its walls rebuilt by the Svealandic army in 1551. Without this occupation it probably would have been absorbed into Wolfenbuttel at the close of the war.

Host city for the treaty ending the Brandenburg Wars (1801-1815) Goslar has become a neutral meeting place for the delegates of the region whose states are rarely contiguous. Still relatively wealthy its mines are slowly exhausting themselves however and it slowly rebranding itself as a spa town.

Government
The city is governed by a single chambered council with elections held every five years. The current mayor is Carl Neimann.