Besken

Besken (ᛔᛂᛊᚦᛂᚾ), officially the Grand City of Besken (ᚸᛡᚬᛄᛊᛏᚨᛑᛏ ᛔᛂᛊᚦᛂᚾ Großstadt Besken), is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Doesia in the Zusian Empire. With a population of 2,449,014 people in 2020, the city is also the sixth-largest in the country. Together with Wandemar and Uschau, the city forms the polycentric of Besken-Hartenburg. The name of the city as well as the names of many of its boroughs are of Slavic origin. Besken's medieval Vordic Besker Heldendom, the third-tallest church and tallest cathedral in the world, constructed to house the Shrine of Brothers, is a globally recognized landmark and one of the most visited sights and pilgrimage destinations in Amphia. The cityscape is further shaped by the Twelve Latinesque churches of Besken.

Straddling two historic trade routes, Besken first achieved prominence in the 13th century as the capital of the Margraviate of Hartenburg, a small state in the wilds of the western Vordic Empire. Over the next few centuries, Hartenburg expanded to become the Kingdom of Doesia, which by the 18th century boasted one of the most professionalized and advanced armies in the world. At the start of the National Springtime, Besken was the fourth-largest city in Zusea, and has remained amongst the largest ever since. The city suffered intensive bombing during the Endwar, but prospered after the end of the war during rebuilding efforts, a period known as the Großverjüngung.

Besken today is an economic centre of Zusea, is often rated as the nation's most livable city, and has the second-best future prospects of all Zusian cities according to the Farbai Institute for Economics and Pantatzscha Bank. The city is the seat of the West Circuit Imperial Court, and the home of the Besker Tiergarten, one of the most modern zoos in Amphia. Besken has been called Zusea's "Boomtown" and was the 2019 Amphian City of the Year. Besken has also long been a major centre for music, and is particularly known as the heartland of modern "dark alternative music" or. There are many institutions of higher education in the city, most notably the University of Besken, one of Amphia's oldest and largest universities; the Technical University of Besken, Zusea's largest university of applied sciences; and the Besker Sport University. It is a major research hub for the aerospace industry, hosting the Komikos Aerospace Center and the Amphian Cosmonaut Commission headquarters. It also has significant chemical and automobile industry. The annual Besken Trade Fair includes a number of prominent trade shows, such as, , , and , the world's largest video games fair.