Pelograd (Pacifica)

Pelograd ペログラダ Пелоград
Capital city
Country	Pelinai
Federal region	Stelossia
Founded	C. 19 BC
Government
• Body	Pelograd Metropolitan Council
• Mayor	Makutsu Kaiyama (UP)
Area
• Capital city	2,204 km2 (851 sq mi)
• Land	2,149 km2 (830 sq mi)
• Water	55 km2 (21 sq mi)
• Urban	4,928 km2 (1,903 sq mi)
• Metro	10,920 km2 (4,220 sq mi)
• Rank	2nd in Pelinai
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Capital city	10,160,440
• Rank	2nd in Pelinai
• Density	4,610/km2 (11,900/sq mi)
• Urban	17,696,450
• Urban density	3,591/km2 (9,300/sq mi)
• Metro	22,659,000
• Metro density	2,075/km2 (5,370/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Pelogradian
GDP (nominal) (2024)
• Federal city	◎210.585 billion (INT$682.296B)
• Per capita	◎20,726 (INT$67,151)
Time zone	UTC+3 (MET)
Area codes	(150) (151) (152) (153)
Website	Pelograd.gov.pln

Pelograd (Pelinese: ペログラダ, Perogurada; Stelossian: Пелоград) is the capital and second most populous city of Pelinai, situated on the southwestern edge of Stelossia bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is administered as a federal city separate from the rest of Stelossia.

The first significant urban settlement in the Pelograd area was established circa 19 BC, when the settlement of Chorpeska was established by the southwestern Chorekite kingdom of Yugorod as a border outpost near the Marahic kingdoms to the west. It reached status as a major population center by 126 AD, when it was recorded as the capital of the Kerekite Empire; later, during the early medieval era, it became an administrative center for the southeasternmost holdings of the Loshkar Dakaraltsate. Following the unification of the medieval Kingdom of Stelossia in 1397, it was reincorporated under Chorekic rule and became the primary seaport for maritime commerce with other states bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Chorpeska was renamed to Pelograd and converted into the capital of the new Kingdom of Pelinai in 1783, superseding Korolyeviya; it retained this status under the Socialist Republic of Belogora under the name Belograd between 1975 and 1982. The city was spared from the large-scale destruction visited on cities such as Korolyeviya and Letograd during the Pelinese Civil War by the surrender of the communist government in October 1982, which saw the name of Pelograd restored to usage and the new Provisional Government placed into power.

Pelograd possesses significant political, economic, and cultural significance in Pelinai, and is one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities as of 2024. The city is home to numerous major financial and commercial assets such as Pelograd Harbor and the State Energy Resources Exchange; along with Tsugunare and Letograd, it is also one of the three major shipping hubs handling most of Pelinai’s maritime trade with western countries. The federal city and its metropolitan area contain the headquarters buildings for 17 of Pelinai’s 100 largest companies as well as 3 of its major keiretsu banks. Major research universities situated in or near the city include Pelograd State University, Stelossia Regional University, and East Mediterranean University. International institutions partially or fully headquartered in Pelograd include the Bailtemmic Commission of the Bailtemmic Cooperation Organization and the Bailtemmic Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Names

The name “Pelograd” is the official and most common name applied to the city, being in near-continuous use from 1783 AD onwards. Obsolete names include Chorpeska, the original Choreko-Stelossian name used from the city’s founding up to 1783, as well as the title Belograd which saw official usage under the 1975-1982 communist government.

Cityscape

Monuments and landmarks

Pelograd is a major center of historical and cultural structures in Pelinai due to its status as a capital city and a relative lack of damage from the Pelinese Civil War in comparison to other Pelinese major cities. Its major landmarks include a wide variety of government buildings, monuments, fortifications, and other structures, ranging in era from the early 900s AD to the present.

The southeastern bank of Chorpeska Bay is dominated by the Old City ward and associated waterfront, which comprise the oldest section of Pelograd. This ward contains the vast majority of pre-1800 structures located in the city, including many significant extant examples of Stelossian Modernist architecture such as the Old Waterfront Exchange building, and is notable for containing many pedestrian streets near and along the shoreline; the waterfront itself is also home to the Pelograd Seafood Market, one of the oldest continually operating markets in Pelinai. Saint Andrew Fortress, an early 18th-century Stelossian star fort and coastal artillery complex, overlooks the wider Chorpeska Bay from Mia Island roughly 300 meters offshore from the Old City. Further inland along the Grand Royal Avenue is Victory Square, a large red brick plaza housing an obelisk commemorating the Second Stelo-Sevarian War; it is adjoined to the north by the nearby Cathedral of Saint Boris, a white marble cathedral built in baroque style.

As the capital city of Pelinai, Pelograd possesses many buildings associated with the highest levels of the Pelinese federal government. The Parliament Building and its associated satellite buildings, a series of hybrid classicist buildings completed in 1989, serve as the seat of the Pelinese State Parliament and the Pelinese federal legislative branch as a whole; they are constructed with a white quartzite masonry facade and make heavy use of decorations such as reliefs and cast bronze statues. The Pelinese Supreme Court is also situated in the same Governmental Ward, as are the main offices of executive ministries and directorates; executive offices notable for their architecture include the main buildings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.
The northeastern sections of the historic city center in Pelograd are home to the Sekisei, a late 16th-century Stelossian-era fortification now used as a governmental and museum district. The entire complex is ringed by white, 8 meter tall quartzite masonry walls interspersed with towers, and is divided into two sections by a small internal wall: the western section contains converted museums and is open to the public, while the restricted eastern citadel contains buildings such as the royal palace and the residence of the Prime Minister of Pelinai.

Culture

Museums and galleries

A great range of museums, art galleries, and similar venues are situated in Pelograd. The city is particularly known for its selection of state-owned museums exhibiting national treasures, royal collections, and historical artifacts, established during both Pelinese and Belogoran administrations; notable examples of these include the Sekisei Royal Armory Museum, the Museum of Pelinai, the Pelinese Museum of the World, and the Pelinese National Gallery of Art. Municipal-level public museums in Pelograd, both general and catering to specialized topics, include the Pelograd Museum of History, the Pelograd Museum of Technological Systems, and the East Mediterranean Archaeological Museum.