Erzfelsen

Erzfelsen
Municipality
Flag Seal
Mottoes:  Trem bão danado, sô Oh awesome train, mister
Country	Ebenthal
Region	Ebenthaler Highlands
Settled	8 April 1928
Inc. Roschfallen	8 February 2014
Inc. Ebenthal	13 August 2014
Province status	5 February 2022
Government
• Type	Executive-led devolved administration
• Chief Executive	Pedro Carvalho
Area
• Total	0.8 km2 (0.3 sq mi)
• Water	0 km2 (0 sq mi)  0%
Elevation	852 m (2,795 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	32 (permanent)
• Rank	2nd
Demonym	Erzfelsian
Time zone	UTC−3
Postal Code	30000-001 to 31999-999
Area code	+55 31
HDI (2022)	0.910 very high (3rd)

Erzfelsen (German pronunciation: [ɛɾt͡sfˈɛlzən]), officially Municipality of Erzfelsen (Portuguese: Município de Erzfelsen) is one of the eight municipalities and one of Ebenthal. It is the country's second most populous administrativ region, with 32 permanent residents within its 0.8 km², making the city also the most densely populated region in Ebenthal. The municipality is administered through an assembly-independent executive-led devolved government by a Chief Executive appointed by the King of Ebenthal according to the country's parliamentary representation. Due to its historic status as Ebenthal's first capital for just two days and its large population in comparison to the country's other municipalities and regions, except for Brauncastel, Erzfelsen exerts considerable influence on the national political and economis scenes.

Prior to the European colonization of the Americas, the territory comprising Erzfelsen was primarily inhabited by numerous indigenous tribes of the Macro-Jê ethnicities. With the beginning of Portuguese colonization, the Bandeiras Expeditions, which expanded the Portuguese colonial State of Brazil inland expelled and massacred the Indians. The region was settled in 1701, right at the beginning of the gold rush, and the Portuguese founded the village of Curral d'el Rey. Following the independence of Brazil in 1822 and the establishment of a republic in 1889 through a coup d'état, the new republican leaders sought to create a new capital for the wealthy state of Minas Gerais, a planned city, which would reflect the image of modernity that the new regime wanted to convey, and in 1897 the municipality of Belo Horizonte was founded. The Carvalho family, originally from Ouro Preto, settled in the city at the beginning of the 20th century, eventually building their first permanent residence there in 1928. On 8 February 2014 the micronationalist Pedro Carvalho proclaimed the independence of his close family's properties in the city and decreed their annexation to the newly founded Kingdom of Roschfallen, in which the Carvalho lands were integrated into the Seine Mountainous Department. However, half a year after the integration, amidst of a serious constitutional crisis, Pedro Carvalho joined the rebellion led by Arthur Beato and proclaimed the secession of his family's lands from Roschfallen, integrating it into the newly established separatist Kingdom of Ebenthal as the new Principality of Belmonte, a city-state which served as Ebenthal's first capital from 11 to 13 August 2014. The Belmonte/Erzfelsian monarchy was abolished on 5 February 2022, and on 1 January 2023 the province's name was retroactively changed to Erzfelsen.

As a town, Erzfelsen is divided into 10 enclaves comprising 2 boroughs; they are the Claudean borough (four enclaves in Rio Branco and Santa Mônica neighbourhoods) and the Aurean borough (six enclaves in Mangabeira, Céu Azul, Venda Nova and Tupi). During most of its time as a principality, Erzfelsen was ruled directly by a Regent, as the title of Prince of Belmonte - later Prince of Erzfelsen - was reserved for the heir to the Ebenthaler throne, who was therefore nominally the ruler of the principality. However, in 2021 the title was returned to the Erzfelsian administration and the Princes of Erzfelsen ruled the town until the abolition of the monarchy. In 2024, following the enactmente of the Redivision Act which completely restructured Ebenthal's model of administrative divisions, Erzfelsen lost its provincial status.

Etimology

The name Minen is a literal translation into German of the Portuguese word Minas, that is, "mines". The name was adopted in accordance with the Charter of Etymological Styles promulgated by the Luso-Germanic Cultural Commission, referring to the name of the Brazilian state in which the province is enclaved, Minas Gerais, which translates to "general mines".

The former name Belmonte, in old Galician-Portuguese, means Belo Monte, this is, "Beautiful Mound". On the case of the province, though, the name Belmonte is a corruption of the words Belo and Horizonte, from Belo Horizonte, the Brazilian city on which the province lies enclaved. It nonetheless also evoked the mountains, since "Belo Horizonte" translates to a "Beautiful Horizon" as seen from a mountain, and since the entire region lies above the sea level between mountains.

Gallery

• 
• 
•