Ossendorf
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Ossendorf is a village located above the Chur River in Miervatia, Mikitivity. The village is the only part of Miervatia canton that lies south of the Chur River, and is on the border of Nolanstadt. The village is of significant historical importance in Mikitivity, as the local stone and gravel quarries were the primary source of building material for Miervatia City and much of the Spice Weg. Today there is limited quarrying of the Chur River upstream of Ossendorf, but the city has not experienced much growth.
History
As communities grew along the flood-prone Risden River, people tended to build homes on the steeper slopes of the canyon walls in order to elevate their homes above the floodplain. The cold and wet climate of the region favored stone structures over wooden structures. The glaicer fed Chur River carried a significant well graded sediment load that was particularly useful in the construction of many stone homes, fortifications, and walls. However, by the time the cold river reached as far west as the Risden River, the velocity of the water was slow enough that some of the larger slabs had been left many kilometers up the narrow gorges cut by the Chur.
In the late 1200s a group of stonemasons set up a camp just south of the present day center of Ossendorf, where they would break some of the larger slabs into smaller boulders that could still be transported down the river in moderate flow conditions. The boulders would then be retrieved from the river by other masons working the confluence of the Chur and Risden rivers. This early stone quarry operation was so successful, that the Ossendorf masons ended up living on the sides of the cliffs year round.
Geography
Located in a narrow valley above the Chur River in the Thuvian Mountains, Ossendorf has spread along the cliffs on either side of the river. Navigation up the Chur is difficult due to its high flow volume and narrow channel, leaving two main land based routes into the village. Both of these routes meander along side the river, starting to the west near the Risden River and ending in Ossendorf. Portions of these narrow roads pass through tunnels. Non-local vehicle traffic in and out of Ossendorf is highly discouraged via a road tariff that is charged for all eastward (upstream) traffic.
Climate and Weather
Sister Cities
Ossendorf has applied to the IDU Sister City Program, but currently no other city has adopted the village.
