Niesburg

Niesburg (historically Niesium) is a town located in Carrington Parish and the second oldest in the country. Niesburg has been a historically significant town, due to its location between Koningstad and Carrington.

Name
The name of Niesburg was a corruption of the Latin name Niesium, combined with -burg, in regards to the castle overlooking the town. The town is also alternately called Niesberg, although the "-burg" ending is the official spelling.

Early history
Niesburg was founded around the year 712. There were several reasons for the establishment of this town. Firstly, the city of Brezonde was experiencing overcrowding and there was a need to alleviate the population. Secondly, the authorities wanted to expand Byzantine control over more of the islands and prevent others from gaining control. Niesium had about 350 citizens by 750. Around 795 they built a small fortress in response to Arab expansion in the Mediterranean region.

Medieval era
Brezonde was conquered by the Arabs in 818 and the townspeople of Niesium prepared for an attack. 400 Arab soldiers marched towards the town and conquered it without much difficulty. Around 1100 the old Byzantine fort was torn down and replaced with a more modern castle. A mosque was built in 1003 and the town was a thriving settlement. Much of the town's economy depended on farming, though mining for silver and iron was a significant portion of the economy. Niesburg gained notoriety in 1219 when seven citizens were arrested by the authorities for falsifying coins; at the time this was the biggest crime committed in the islands.

The castle became a deposit for the silver in the region and was often the target of thieves and groups of bandits. In 1269 a group of greedy soldiers broke in and made off with several bars of silver. It would be a week before they were caught but all were sentenced to death. When the Venetians took control they were intent on removing the mosque, but the threat of armed intervention of the townspeople (Muslim and Christian alike) prevented this.

The Dutch slowly started appearing in Niesburg after 1415 and were influential in spreading thoughts of independence. Niesburg was one of the first towns to revolt against Venetian rule. On July 4, 1427 Venetian soldiers lay siege to the castle. Using various siege weapons they smashed the castle to rubble and killed over 300 defenders. They laid fire to much of the city, completely destroying the mosque and burning down the local church.

Tourism
As a very old town Niesburg gets a lot of tourists, especially from Carrington and Roodstad. The main attractions include the:
 * Central Plaza: The Central Plaza is the old core of the town and where many of its monuments are found. The plaza has a few little cafes and is where many of the town's seniors come for a chat or a drink.
 * Byzantine temple: The temple was built around 735 and in the classical Roman style
 * Niesburg Castle ruins: The castle was destroyed in 1427 but its ruins are still visible and can be visited
 * St. Paul's Church: The Church of St. Paul was originally built in 1216 but was burnt in 1427 during the Battle of Niesburg. It was replaced by the newer construction in 1435.
 * Niesburg Gasthaus: The Gasthaus is an old inn an restaurant founded in 1710 by two Austrian immigrants. It is a popular place to dine with the old folks and is still run by descendants of the founders.

Geography
Niesburg is located at the junction of the A1 and B2 Highways. The surrounding region is especially flat, only a small hill to the south (where the castle stood) was high. The town itself is characterized by old stone houses painted white, which gave the town the nickname of the "white city", as opposed to the the red city or The Grey City.