Pärhula

Pärhula (: Pärhula), written also as Parhula or Paarhula, is the second most populous city in Gladomyr and part of the Greater Dene Metro. With a population of 4.4 million as of 2023, Pärhula is home to much of Gladomyr's most cultural, historical, economic, and political importance. Situated along the Dene just west of its estuary, Pärhula is also a major center of maritime trade for Gladomyr. Pärhula has historically been a international cultural center as well, having hosted numerous multilateral summits, expos, and sports games. Pärhula also holds educational and scientific significance, being home to Gladomyr's second and fourth greatest universities with their own respective laboratories responsible for many influential discoveries and scientists.

Established as a fishing settlement around 310 BCE, Pärhula is the oldest surviving Myrish city in Gladomyr. Pärhula was initially recognized as Kona, named for the abundant on the banks of the settlement, for which its respective municipality still bears the name. Kona would go on to become an influential city state during the Age of Cities. Kona's power would often shift between the second most and the most powerful state alongside its rival Denkev. The two, as well as other city-states, would frequently engage in petty wars with each other. By the year 1000 CE, however, Denkev had solidified its lead over Kona after a devastating plague killed up to 1/6 of the city's entire population.

In 1030 CE, the city was renamed to Pärhula to honor the Pärhul the Fair. The city state would also unite with its neighbors Hasä and Suurduu, known today as Karnes, under a via marriage. Throughout the remainder of the 11th century however, much of the Myrish power held in the city would be transitioned into Salian hands, methodically pushing the native Myrs to a lower. This trend would continue for two more centuries until the Myro-Salian War of 1343, marking the end of Salian expansion and uniting the Myric city-states into a unified Gladomyr.

At the advent of the Industrial Revolution in Gladomyr, Pärhula was among the Big 6 cities in Gladomyr which received a massive influx of population. The other 5 included Denkev, Hasä, Steines, Vösalu, and Merser. The boom in population would help further establish Pärhula on the international stage due to immigrants from around the world. The effect of this boom is still felt today, with Pärhula being the third most ethnically diverse city in the nation.

During the Second World War and the Salian invasion of Gladomyr, over 70% of the city was destroyed in the Siege of Pärhula and subsequent Concert bombing runs on the occupied city. Over the course of the war and its time in South Gladomyr, Pärhula lost over 1.3 million residents to emigration, disease, and war. In the aftermath of the third world war and the reunification of Gladomyr however, Pärhula would go on to be rebuilt under Gladomyr's Build Back Better policy (BBB). By 1968, Pärhula would be rebuilt to near pre-war conditions, though scars from the war are still visible to this day. Much of the city's traditional architecture was lost, and was thus home to new architectural development and styles throughout the modern era—creating the largest art district in the nation as a side-effect. Pärhula continues to grow to this day.