Kirkenes
Kirkenes is the most populous city in Kelssek. It is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, part of the province of Noua Cymru. The city is a major financial and economic centre, with the majority of Kelssek's banking and financial services industry headquartered in Kirkenes, along with the offices or headquarters of many of the nation's major corporations. In particular, the city is a centre for financial services, media, biotechnology, automotive manufacturing, film, and software production. The city is a major centre for culture and the arts as well as a transportation hub; the Port of Kirkenes is the busiest seaport in Kelssek by both shipping tonnage and container volume.
Often nicknamed "Kirky" or "The Smoke" for the (now non-existent) smog problems it suffered in the 1970s, the city is home to 7,928,867 Kirkenians (2007 census), with over 30 million people living within the surrounding conurbation known as the Greater Kirkenes Area, or GKA for short, which includes the cities of Missisauga, Newmarket, Barrie, Aurora, North York, Halton, Peel and Durham. In addition, Kirkenes is famous for its ethnic diversity; the majority of its residents (52%) are foreign-born.
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Attractions and culture
The city is home to the iconic KN Tower and many national and transnational corporate head offices. Other landmarks and major attractions include Nathan Phillips Square, the Kirkenes Modern Art Museum, the Gallery of Noua Cymru, Noua Cymru Place, the Kirkenes Islands, the Kirkenes Aquarium, the National Museum of Zoology and the Noua Cymru Science Centre. Historical landmarks include the ruins of Spadina Castle, the Distillery District, and the Water Street heritage section of the city known colloquially as Mosstown. Kirkenes is a popular tourist destination for families.
With the help of immigration, Kirkenes has a very cosmopolitan population representing cultures and ethnicities from around the world. Due to its low crime, clean environment and generally high standard of living, the city is one of the world's most livable and attractive cities. Often called a "city of neighbourhoods", many immigrant enclaves proliferate throughout the city's metropolitan area. Kirkenes is well known for the large number of microbreweries in the city which attract beer aficionados. Kirkenes is also a cultural centre and is a major centre for the performing arts, hosting over thirty professional theatrical groups, seven ballet companies, two opera companies and two symphony orchestras. The Thompson Hall, arguably the country's most famous classical music venue, is located in Kirkenes.
Kirkenes has vibrant nightlife with many entertainment options and popular nightclubs, particularly in the Duncan, Yorkville, and West End areas, the latter of which has a reputation for raves. The Kirkenes Islands are a popular venue for rock concerts and the city hosts a large independent music scene, although not as large as the more well-known scene in Burnaby. Kelssek's famous punk rock band Factional Distillation began playing in Kirkenes pubs.
Transportation
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| KTC streetcars are iconic of the city of Kirkenes. |
Kirkenes has one of the region's largest public transit systems. The Kirkenes Transit Commission, an agency of the city government, runs subway trains, streetcars and buses throughout the Greater Kirkenes Area with ridership estimated at 37 million trips daily. Kirklink, a provincial government corporation, also runs the metropolitan area's main commuter rail service.
Both Kelssek National Railway and Kelssek Pacific Railway provide inter-city rail services to Union Station in the city's downtown, which is also served by the Velocit high-speed railway. It will be a terminus for the Velocit Northwest when the line's construction is completed.
The nation's busiest highway, Noua Cymru Highway 401, runs through the city and connects it with the provincial capital of Winchester to the west. Highway 400 runs to Redswyth to the north. Highway 404 connects Kirkenes with the Trans-Kelssek Highway (Federal Highway 1), splitting off at the town of Blackfoot 33km to the southwest.
Kirkenes's main airport is Malton Airport, which serves 70 million passengers annually and is Kelssek's busiest airport by passenger numbers. The Kirkenes City Centre Airport serves general aviation traffic and has commercial turboprop flights to Redswyth and Neorvins; the latter use is the subject of much controversy because of the noise pollution which many claim are compromising the city's ambitious project to revitalise its waterfront. Downsview Airport and Buttonville Airport are two other busy general aviation airports in Kirkenes.
Media
With six major dailies, Kirkenes is an extremely competitive newspaper environment. Kirkenes's main daily newspaper is The Kirkenes Courier, which has Kelssek's largest English-only circulation. The nationally-distributed newspapers The Chronicle and Herald and the National Telegraph are also published and printed in Kirkenes, as is the tabloid-size newspaper Kirkenes Sun which is available for free in transit stations in the mornings and competes with the Courier, while the Kirkenes Evening Herald is a free business-oriented paper available in the evenings and mainly distributed from dispensing machines in transit stations and by the streets in the financial district. The newsmagazine Global and the worker-owned media conglomerate United Kelssek Broadcasters Corporation, which is Kelssek's largest cable television provider, are also based in Kirkenes.
The headquarters and main studios of the Kelssek Broadcasting Corporation's English services are also located in the city, and the city is also a centre for movie production - it hosts the annual Kirkenes International Film Festival every August. A multiplicity of radio stations caters to the many immigrant communities in Kirkenes.
Higher education
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| The University of Kirkenes has Kelssek's largest student population. |
Kirkenes is home to four major universities:
- Lionsgate University - One of Kelssek's oldest universities.
- University of Kirkenes - Kelssek's largest university by student population and well-known for its medical and sociological research as well as engineering programs.
- St. David's University - Among Kelssek's top comprehensive universities.
- Pearson University - known for its political studies courses, particularly international relations.
In addition, several other important post-secondary institutions are located within or in the vicinity of the metropolitan area, although outside the city of Kirkenes:
- Arthur University - A relatively small university with strengths in social sciences and earth sciences.
- University of Kawartha Lakes - A university most known for computer science and technology.
- National Conservatory of Music - Kelssek's most prestigious music school.
- Noua Cymru University of Art and Design - A major fine arts university.
- Kitchener University - A public comprehensive university.
Sport and recreation
The coastal location of the city offers watersports activities, with wakeboarding and windsurfing common in the south beaches. Surfers also frequent Don Beach in the northeastern part of the city, where the angle of the shoreline creates better waves. High Park in the city's west is Kirkenes's largest urban green space and offers jogging and cycling trails, and the Rosedale Botanic Gardens are one of the best such gardens in Kelssek. The city's New Waterfront project will also create a promenade offering a variety of recreational activities when it is fully complete in 2011.
Professional sports teams
Kirkenes is the home of two of Kelssek's oldest and most storied sports teams - the Kirkenes Dragons (Kelssek Hockey League) and the Kirkenes Crusaders (Rugby Superleague). The derby rivalry between the Kirkenes Dragons and the Kirkenes Rangers is among the most established in Kelssekian hockey, and intra-provincial rivalries are strongest with teams from Redswyth. Four lower-division KHL clubs and three KRF National League rugby clubs are also based in the metropolitan area.
Exhibition Place stadium is considered the home ground of the Kelssek national football team and home matches for the team are typically held there. It is also the home of the professional football team Kirkenes FC. Kirkenes also has two teams in the Kelssek Water Polo League rounding off its presence in Kelssek's major professional leagues.
| Team name | Sport | League | Home venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkenes Dragons | Ice hockey | Kelssek Hockey League | Air Kelssek Centre |
| Kirkenes Rangers | Ice hockey | Kelssek Hockey League | St. Michael Centre |
| Kirkenes Crusaders | Rugby union | Rugby Superleague | Sky Dome |
| ASC Kirkenes | Lacrosse | National Lacrosse League | Air Kelssek Centre |
| Kirkenes Blues | Water polo | Kelssek Water Polo League | University Aquatics Centre |
| ASC Kirkenes Dolphins | Water polo | Kelssek Water Polo League | York Sports Complex |
| Kirkenes FC | Association football | Kelssek Football League | Exhibition Place |
Sister cities
Kirkenes has city twinning agreements with:
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Kelssek |
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|---|---|---|
| Main article: Kelssek | ||
| Topics: Culture, Economy, Education, History, Kelssekian beer, Time zones, Universities | ||
| Major cities: Kirkenes, Outineau, Burnaby, Neorvins, Mazinaw, Vickery, Saint-Remy, Clayquot, Breton, Ulyanov, Langlois, Latrobe, Colwyn | ||
| Politics and government: President of Kelssek, Prime Minister of Kelssek, Parliament of Kelssek | ||
| Sports: Kelssek Hockey League, Rugby Superleague, Kelssek Water Polo League, Kelssek Football League, KRU Cup, Kelssekian Olympic Committee | ||
| Other: Air Kelssek, Celestar, Kelssek Broadcasting Corporation, Kelssek dollar, National anthem, Trades Union Congress, Velocit | ||
| Other articles within Category:Kelssek | ||
