Prefectures of Lyran

Administrative divisions Lyran consists of 7 prefectures, each overseen by an appointed governor. Each prefecture is further divided into cities, towns and villages.

1st Prefecture of Petersburg
As a subject Petersburg contains, besides Rhea proper, the cities of Kolpino and Pushkin applies to the Prefecture of Petersburg. Petersburg is situated on the middle taiga lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, and islands of the river delta. The largest are Vasilyevsky island (besides the artificial island between Obvodny canal and Fontanka, and Kotlin in the Neva Bay), Petrogradsky, Dekabristov and Krestovsky. The latter together with Yelagin and Kamenny island are covered mostly by parks. The Karelian Isthmus, north of the city, is a popular resort area. In the south Petersburg crosses the Baltic-Ladoga Klint and meets the Izhora Plateau. The elevation of Saint Petersburg ranges from the sea level to its highest point of 175.9 m (577 ft) at the Orekhovaya Hill in the Duderhof Heights in the south. Part of the city's territory west of Liteyny Prospekt is no higher than 4 m (13 ft) above sea level, and has suffered from numerous floods. Floods in Petersburg are triggered by a long wave in the Baltic Sea, caused by meteorological conditions, winds and shallowness of the Neva Bay. The four most disastrous floods occurred in 1824 (421 cm/13.8 ft above sea-level, during which over 300 buildings were destroyed), 1924 380 cm/12.5 ft, 1777 321 cm/10.5 ft, 1955 293 cm/9.6 ft and 1975 281 cm/9.2 ft. To prevent floods, the Petersburg Dam has been under construction. The terrain in the city has been raised artificially, at some places by more than 4 m (13 ft), making mergers of several islands, and changing the hydrology of the city. Besides the Neva and its distributaries, other important rivers of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg are Sestra, Okhta and Izhora. The largest lake is Sestroretsky Razliv in the north, followed by Lakhtinsky Razliv, Suzdal Lakes and other smaller lakes.

The majority of the Lyranian population lives in the 1st Prefecture of Petersburg. 26% of the total population is split between the capital and the cities of Kolpino and Pushkin. The Council of Ministry is situated in the de facto capital Rhea in the Celestial Palace. This is the home of the Tsar, and work place of the Council of Ministry.

The 1st Prefecture of Petersburg is represented in the Court of Veche by Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, Dmitri Mendeleev, Konstantin Thon, Dionisy Falk, Sasha Cherny, and Lev Gumilyov.

2nd Prefecture of Tallinn
Tallinn is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The largest lake in Tallinn is Lake Ülemiste (covers 9.6 km²). It is the main source of the city's drinking water. Lake of Harku is the second largest lake within the borders of Tallinn and its area is 1.6 km². Unlike many other large towns, the only significant river in Tallinn is Pirita River (a city district counted as a suburb). The river valley is a protected area because of its natural beauty. A limestone cliff runs through the city. It is exposed, for instance, at Toompea and Lasnamäe. However, Toompea is not a part of the cliff, but a separate hill. The highest point of Tallinn, at 64 meters above the sea level, is situated in the district of Nõmme, in the south-west of the city. The length of the coastline is 46 kilometres. It comprises 3 bigger peninsulas: Kopli peninsula, Paljassaare peninsula and Kakumäe peninsula. For local government purposes, Tallinn is subdivided into 7 administrative cities. The district governments are city institutions that fulfil, in the territory of their district, the functions assigned to them by Tallinn legislation and statutes. Each district government is managed by an Elder. He or she is the runner up in the Court of Veche election.

Maardu was once a separate town (Dom zu Reval) known as the Old Town, the residence of the Knights of Cydonia, occupying an easily defensible site overlooking the surrounding districts. The major attractions are the walls and various bastions of Castrum Danorum, the Diamond Cathedral (built during the period of Medusian Empire, the church was built on a site that formerly housed a statue of Medusé), the Toomkirik Cathedral and the old Lyranian Royal Palace now the Historical Museum of Lyran.

Laagri was known as the Viru Gate, entrance to the Old Town, Maardu. One of two remaining towers that were once part of a larger gate system. This area is one of the best preserved old towns in Europe and the authorities are continuing its rehabilitation. Major sights include Raekoja plats (Town Hall square), the town walls and towers (notably "Fat Margaret" and "Kiek in de Kök") and St Olaf church tower (124 m).

Mytishchi is 2 kilometres east of the centre of Tallinn and is served by buses and trams. The former palace of Narcis the Philosopher, built just after the Great Northern War, now houses (part of) the Art Museum of Lyran, presidential residence and the surrounding grounds include formal gardens and woodland. Restored recently with a large donation from the Viridian Entente. This coastal district is a further 2 kilometres north-east of Khimhi. The marina was built for the Moskva Sport Event, and boats can be hired on the Pirita river. Two kilometres inland are the Botanic Gardens and the Tallinn television tower.

Tallinn is the third largest prefecture in Lyran. Approximately 14% of the total population lives in this prefecture split between 4 cities, Maardu, Saku, Harku, Laagri, and 3 towns, Mytishchi, Krasnogorsk, Khimhi.

3rd Prefecture of Moskva
The province of Moskva borders the province of Novgorod. Moskva is situated on the banks of the Moskva River. The highest point is Teplostanskaya highland (255 m), where one of the fortresses of Lyran is situated. In several wars, the Teplostanskaya highland played a major role in genius defenses against enemies. Moskva’s architecture is world-renowned. Moskva is also well known as the site of Tsar Narcis’s Cathedral, with its elegant onion domes, as well as the Cathedral of Medusé and the Seven Spheres. For a long time, the view of the city was dominated by numerous buddhist cathedrals and temples. The look of the city changed drastically during the Cydonian War, mostly due to Tsar Melchior, who oversaw a large-scale effort to modernise the city. He introduced broad avenues and roadways, some of them over ten lanes wide, but he also attempted to maintain the beauty of the great number of historically significant architectural works.

There are 96 parks and 18 gardens in Moskva, Including 4 botanical gardens. There are also 450 square kilometers (174 sq mi) of green zones besides 100 square kilometers (39 sq mi) of forests. Moscow is a very green city if compared to other cities of comparable size in Western Europe and America.

Moskva is also the heart of Lyranian performing arts, including ballet and film. There are ninety-three theatres, 132 cinemas and twenty-four concert-halls in Moskva. Among Moskva’s many theatres and ballet studios is the Bolshoi Theatre and the Malyi Theatre as well as Vakhtangov Theatre and Moskva Art Theatre. The repertories in a typical Moscow season are exhaustive and modern interpretations of classic works, whether operatic or theatrical, are quite common. State Central Concert Hall Luria, famous for ballet and estrade performances, is the place of frequent concerts of pop and rock stars and is situated in the soon to be demolished building of Hotel Rossiya, the largest hotel in Europe. Moskva International Performance Arts Centre, opened in recently, also known as Moskva International House of Music, is known for its performances in classical music. It also has the largest organ in Russia installed in Svetlanov Hall. There are also two large circuses in Moscow: Moscow State Circus and Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard[41] named after Yuri Nikulin.

Moskva is the fifth largest prefecture in Lyran with approximately 12% of the total population situated in the 7 cities of Odintsovo, Shchelkovo, Balashikha, Troitsk, Dzerzhinsk, Balakhna and Bogorodsk. Moskva is also the home of the judicial system, Court of Atlan.

4th Prefecture of Novgorod
Novgorod borders the prefecture of Moskva. It is divided by the Oka River into two distinct parts. Nagornaya Chast is located on the hilly eastern bank of the Oka. It includes three of the six city districts into which the city is administratively divided: Zacolzh'e, Volodarsk and Volga; Zarechnaya Chast occupies the low (western) side of the Oka, and includes three city districts: Semenov, Kstovo and Vorsma.

Much of the city is built in the Lyranian Revival and Melchior Empire styles. The dominating feature of the city skyline is the grand Kremlin, with its red-brick towers. After the Cydonian War devastation, the only ancient edifice left within the kremlin walls is the tent-like Archangel Cathedral, first built in stone in the afterwards. There are more than six hundred unique historic, architectural, and cultural monuments in the city, and there are about two hundred municipal and regional art and cultural institutions within Novgorod. Among these institutions there are eight theatres, five concert halls, ninety-seven libraries (with branches), seventeen movie theaters (including five movie theaters for children), twenty-five institutions of children optional education, eight museums (sixteen including branches), and seven parks.

Other notable landmarks are the two great medieval abbeys. The Pechersky Ascension Monastery features the austere five-domed cathedral and two rare churches surmounted by tent roofs. The Annunciation monastery, likewise surrounded by strong walls, has another five-domed cathedral and the Assumption church. The only private house preserved from that epoch formerly belonged to the merchant Pushnikov. There can be little doubt that the most original and delightful churches in the city were built by the Stroganovs in the nascent Baroque style. Of these, the Virgin's Nativity Church graces one of the central streets, whereas the Church of Our Lady of Smolensk survives in the former village of Gordeevka (now, part of the city's Volga), where the Stroganov palace once stood.

Novgorod is the second largest prefecture in Lyran, and contains 16% of the total population. The prefecture contains six cities, however they combine one greater city itself. Novgorod is also the home of the Court of Veche.

5th Prefecture of Rīga
Rīga with its central geographic position and concentration of population, has always been an infrastructural hub of the seven cities that lay close to each other. Several national roads have their beginning in Rīga and the European route E22 crosses Rīga from the east and west, the Via Baltica crosses Rīga from the south and north.

As a city situated by a river, Rīga also has several bridges to facilitate easy crossing for an increasing volume of traffic. The oldest standing bridge is the Railway Bridge, which is also the only railroad carrying bridge in Rīga. The Stone Bridge connects Ogre and Jürmala, the Island Bridge connects Tukums forštate and Jelgava via Cësis, and the Shroud Bridge connects Ogre and Salaspils via Siauliai. Recently, the first stage of the new Southern Bridge route across the Daugava was completed, and opened to traffic. The Southern Bridge is currently the biggest construction project in the Rīga prefecture in 20 years, and will help to reduce traffic jams and the amount of traffic in the city centre. Another big construction project is the planned Rīga Northern Transport Corridor, which is scheduled to begin in shortly.

Public transportation in the city is provided by Rīgas Satiksme which operates a large fleet of trams, buses and trolleybuses on an extensive network of routes across the city. In addition, many private owners operate minibus services. Rīga is connected to the rest of Lyran by trains operated by the national railway company Passenger Train, whose headquarters are in Rīga. Rīga International Coach Terminal provides domestic and international connections by coach.

Business and leisure travel to Rīga have increased significantly in recent years due to improved infrastructure. Most tourists travel to Rīga by air via Rīga International Airport, the largest airport in Lyran, which was renovated and modernised in a few years ago on the occasion of Rīga's anniversary. In the near future, the face of Rīga will undergo notable changes. The construction of a new landmark — the Lyranian National Library building - is scheduled to begin soon.

6th Prefecture of Lietuva
Lietuva is situated in Northern Europe. It has around 99 kilometres (61.5 mi) of sandy coastline, of which only about 38 kilometres (24 mi) face the open Baltic Sea and which is the shortest among the Baltic Sea countries; the rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lietuva's major warm-water port, Klaipėda, lies at the narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon, a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad. The main river, the Neman River, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping vessels. The prefecture consists of the cities of Kaunas, Vilnius, Kalinigrad, Klaipéda and Liepäja. All cities are mostly spread out into the corners of the prefecture, and is heavily covered by the massive forest areas, such as the Aukštaitija National Park near Kaunas.

The Lietuvan landscape has been smoothed by glaciers. The highest areas are the moraines in the western uplands and eastern highlands, none of which are higher than 300 metres (1,000 ft) above sea level, with the maximum elevation being Aukštojas Hill at 294 metres (964 ft). The terrain features numerous lakes, Lake Vištytis for example, and wetlands; a mixed forest zone covers nearly 33% of the prefecture. The climate lies between maritime and continental, with wet, moderate winters and summers. According to one geographical computation method, Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, lies only a few kilometres south of the geographical centre of Europe.

The culture of Lietuva has been influenced by geography, historical events, and artistic movements. Various cultural changes occurred throughout Lietuva's transformation from a former country of the Medusian state to a Lyranian prefecture. Several museums exist in Lietuva. The Lietuva Art Museum was founded in decades ago and is the largest museum of art preservation and display in Lyran. The Palanga Amber Museum is a subsidiary of the Lietuva Art Museum. Various amber pieces comprise a major part of the museum. In total, 28,000 pieces of amber are displayed, and about 15,000 contain inclusions of insects, spiders, or plants. Some 4,500 amber pieces in the museum are used for artwork and jewelry. A future museum, Vilnius Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, will present exhibitions of new media art, parts of the New York City anthology film archive, and Fluxus art.

7th Prefecture of Kharkov


Kharkov is one of the most prolific centers of higher education and research of Eastern Europe. The city has 13 national universities and numerous professional, technical and private higher education institutions, offering its students a wide range of disciplines. Kharkov National University, National Technical University “KhPI”, Kharkov National Aerospace University "KhAI" are the leading universities in Lyran. A massive number of students attend the universities and other institutions of higher education in Kharkov. Kharkov receive foreign students from 96 countries study in the prefecture. More than 1,000 faculty and research stuff are employed in the institutions of higher education in Kharkov.

The city has a high concentration of research institutions, which are independent or loosely connected with the universities. Among them are three national science centers: Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, Institute of Metrology, Institute for Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine and 20 national research institutions of the National Academy of Science of Lyran, such as Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering. A total number of 5,000 scientists are working in research and development. A number of world renowned scientific schools appeared in Kharkov such as the theoretical physics school and the mathematical school.

In addition to the libraries affiliated with the various universities and research institutions, the Kharkov State Scientific V. Korolenko-library is a major research library. Kharkov has 212 (secondary education) schools, including 10 lyceums and 20 gymnasiums.

These institutes, schools, research and development centres is spread out through five cities of Poltava, Kremenchug, Cherkassy, Korlivka, and Lugansk.