Nouvelle-Amsterdam

Nouvelle-Amsterdam, previously known as Amsterdam and after New Amsterdam, is a historic town first established by the Revolutionary Confederation then being claimed by the Grand Imperium and now inside the borders of Lumière. It is located in the -,- quadrant southwest of Lusitania and west of Varkonia across the Medi Sea. Nouvelle-Amsterdam is located in an attractive and strategically-important river valley, surrounded by towering mountains to the east and west. The town served as the capital of Isi Province and the seat of that province's Lord.

History
Amsterdam was the largest settlement and presumed capital of the nation of the Revolutionary Confederation, a small nation which laid claim to the lands of the western Medi Sea in mid-2018. The exact date of the fall of the city is unclear but it's cause was mostly due to inactivity of the city's founder, all that is known is that by October 2018 the nation's representatives did not respond to a survey of active nations, suggesting the city had already been abandoned. The city had suffered both minor and major acts of griefing on various aspects of the city, but inspection of the city's unlocked chests gave no indication of theft, and the town's ambitious street plans remained unfulfilled.

Later nations came and went without leaving their mark on the town. The nation of Wallachia claimed the land on 7th September 2018, and the nation of Highrock, led by Krypticly, Sladerish, and EvasiveObject, claimed the land on the 11th September 2019. By early 2020, however, Highrock appeared inactive and after the nation did not post updated claims during a review of territory claims in January 2020, the city of Amsterdam was once again marked as uninhabited. A sign left in one of the dry canals reading '#RestoreAmsterdam' gave some indication of the intent of these later nations.

In February 2020, territory to the town's west was claimed as an exclave of the rapidly-growing Grand Imperium, and in late February, after surveying the abandoned town, Emperor Attoprak formally extended Grand Imperium claims to cover the town. Grand Imperium citizens set to work immediately, clearing grief blocks and repairing damaged houses. The original houses were preserved to keep the memory of this small but beautiful and peaceful place alive, and new buildings were raised up to complete what the people of the Revolutionary Confederation, Wallachia and Highrock had started.

Visitors to the town today can see ancient Confederation buildings from the early days of the server alongside modern houses of the Grand Imperium. The city takes inspiration from Dutch cities, with extensive canals, tall gabled 'grachtenpand' terraces and scenic bridges. The city today is largely abandoned after the inactivity of the Grand Imperium; it had within it structures of varied use, including a station, inn, library, shrine, embassy, bank, post office and many houses for workers, all decorated in the black-cyan-white tricolor of the Imperium. The city was renamed Nouvelle-Amsterdam to mark its rebirth. A train line from Lusitania's capital of Portucale had been under construction prior to it's inactivity.

On June 4th 2021, Lumière was publicly claimed, with Nouvelle-Amsterdam lying within the center of its claims.