Baikal City
Baikal City | |
|---|---|
City | |
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| Sovereign state | Russia |
| Population (2023) | ~2,763,000 |
| Demonym | Baikalians |
Baikal City is a hidden domed city situated deep inside Lake Baikal. Home to about 2,763,000 residents, it is the third-largest city in Russia after Moscow and Saint Petersburg and has been a major hub of business, arts, and culture for thousands of years, despite being virtually unknown outside of Siberia.
At the heart of the city lies Toba Square, a busy plaza with a large, majestic statue of Niko in the centre. Cobblestone streets crisscross the city's many neighbourhoods, with locally manufactured trams wandering through on metre gauge tracks. The Baikal Aquarium lets spectators observe the municipally famous population of nerpas, with the adjacent Baikal Museum showcasing historic and cultural artifacts of Baikal.
The city's most famous festival is the Sea Shanty Festival, where local musicians perform sea shanties at Toba Square. A famous tradition at the end of the festival is when everyone joins hands and sings "Nerpy Doodle Dandy".
Basketbaikal is the region's favourite sport, and the biggest games of the year are broadcasted from the 80,000-seat Laes Corporation Stadium. The atmosphere is electric. Fans say it's better than the annual White Out American football game at Penn State University's Beaver Stadium, which attracts a crowd of around 110,000, and even football games between Belgrade clubs Crvena zvezda and Partizan, where fans of each side constantly jump to the beat of the drums, with flares and fireworks coming from the stands.
Many divers have sought after this hidden metropolis, but no one succeeded.
None... but one.