HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The royal family and select friends celebrated the new year in the garden in the sky. It was a small affair.

First ball of 2008 Scheduled

Today His Majesty announced that New Bergen shall host the first ball of 2008 on January 23rd (a Wednesday) from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM PST (9:00 PM to 11:pp PM EST)

Here you can see where the hall that once housed the official opening ceremony for New Bergen is already being remodeled into a proper ballroom.

The Royal Architect will be doing his usual stunning work.

It is a formal affair, so please dress accordingly.

South West corner of New Bergen Grows

His Majesty is pleased to report that the Governor General has begun building residential structures for new colonists. This move will help make New Bergen more attractive to new colonists.

The structures are simple, but proper.

It is expected that the next phase of development will be landscaping with trees, flowers and other plants being placed all around the colony to enhance the overall atmosphere of the place.

New Castle arrives in New Bergen

Today His Majesty was given a tour of the latest addition to the growing New Bergen community. This castle is fairly modest, really more of a keep, but very nicely decorated and apportioned. While still technically under construction it is nice enough to be viewed now.

Christmas Decorations Up

I forgot to report that the Palace has its decorations in place.

Here are two photos:

Visitor Counter Installed

The Governor General has ordered that a visitor counter be installed to track traffic patterns and record visitors arrivals by teleport. It also record the visitors name and other information for later use. This is an important part of the marketing plan as it allows the colonial government to measure the effectiveness of their actions.

Colony to Sell Land

In a surprising move His Majesty and the Governor General have changed the colonial model from a pure rental system to an ownership tax structure. This change will allow the colonists to have more control, and potential benefit from their land holdings, but will not effect the colonial income stream.

The basic plan calls for the sale price of the parcels to be equal to two weeks tax, and then to collect tax weekly thereafter.

New Bergen Open for Colonists!

Without any fanfare or other hype New Bergen quietly opened for new colonists. The new Assembly building is in place. The public sand box is ready. The landscaping employment system is ready, and the rental signs are all in place.

His Majesty and the Governor General have launched the recruitment program they have been planning for the last 75 days.

It is the hope of the House of Gagarin that the colony of New Bergen will become an excellent starting point for new members to Second Life, then new colonists, and then as new citizens of the Kingdom of Hanover.

Sand box nears completion!

The Governor General was seen putting the last minute touches on the sand box. The sand box is an integral part of the New Bergen colony. This is a great place for newcomers to learn about how to build in a friendly and safe place.

It will help draw new potential colonists to the colony.

More International Interest in New Bergen

His Majesty was pleased to discuss the possibility of an Alexandrian presence in New Bergen with Empereur Edgard II. No commitments were made on either side, but it looks positive that more investigation is likely.

This first hurdle is for the Empereur to acquire a Second Life account to inspect New Bergen and consider how it might perform for Alexandria.

Assembly Building Being Rebuilt

The current assembly building just has so many problems that it is easier to rebuild it than to try to correct the current structure.

The design was scaled back a little to better accommodate the lot size and the projected usage.

First Griefer Attack!

The Governor General was put to the test today cleaning up a defaced New Bergen. Some griefer put x-rated pictures around the colony in what amounts to a Second Life graffiti attack. Wrath was quick to clean the place up and ban the offender. This underscores the need for a mutual protection act with other Second Life micronations.

Photos of His Majesty's Jet Fighter Experiments

His Majesty took the day off to have some fun in New Bergen, and among other things flew this jet fighter around, and then promptly crashed it into a lake.

When asked "Why did you crash?"
He responded "I didn't have the right flight suit"

Here you can see His Majesty coming in for a high speed fly by.

His Majesty surveys the plane in the lake and ponders how to get it out.

His Majesty looks on in disgust at all that's left of the once beautiful plane.

First Tenant in New Bergen

Showing the strength of the new friendship between Hanover and Vikesland New Bergen was honored to receive Prince Christopher of Vikesland as Vikesland became the first official tenant of the colony with the placement of an embassy on the colony. This tenant is before the rentals are even open to the public.

This early placement has sparked more interest both inside Second Life and outside. Inquiries should be sent to the Governor General's avatar "Wrath Crosby" in Second Life directly, or to the email address newbergen@kingdomofhanover.com for more information.

Royal Riders!

His Majesty and Prince Christopher of Vikesland took a bit of rest and relaxation tearing around on the colony estate with some very nice motorcycles.

His Majesty: For me, more fun than a real bike. I'd kill myself in no time
Prince Christopher: LOL! I have a real one and this is as much fun.

They spent the time jumping the bikes, peeling out, and of course, crashing into things with harmless reckless abandon. They spent much time zooming around the commons, and the other areas, and even got stuck in the river.

In the end it was some good clean fun.

Rental System Coming OnLine

His Majesty and the Governor General have spent the last two days working on the rental system. It is a complex system that allows for autonomous actions. New colonist can rent land and pay their rent without any intervention on the part of the Monarchy or the Government.

The setup of this system is critical to the smooth flow of colonists. If it is bulky and difficult to use it will deter colonists. His Majesty invested in the recognized industry leading rental system, and believes it will perform exactly as advertised. But, as with all complex systems, its configuration takes some time, and the customizations take even longer.

The rental system is expected to be online no later than end of business Wednesday of next week.

New Bergen is Open!

New Bergen opened to tremendous fanfare with plenty of pomp and circumstance to go around, and a great party.

The procession boasted the Archbishop of Bergen, the Celtic King and Her Majesty Queen of Hatay. The Governor General, Wrath Crosby, was installed. The colony was proclaimed open to the world.

Afterwards there was a grand party on the roof of the palace.

At the height of thie ceremony His Majesty delivered this address:

Your Majesty, My lords, ladies, gentelmen, allies and friends.

Thank you for attending this opening ceremony of the colony of New Bergen.

This colony represents the efforts of many people, and the vision of a nation. The vision is to build a community that people enjoy and in which they wish to participate both in Second Life and in their real lives. The vision of Hanover is that geographic distancs and other barriers should be laid low so that we can all participate in a the social experiment of nation building.

The Kingdom of Hanover was founded in 2002 by His Majesty King James I, who saw the need for an active monarchy to lead the nation building effort. For reasons I will not go into here he felt it was important for him to retire and he then handed the Crown to His Majesty King Thomas I. King Thomas took the vision of participation and added to it one of unity. He lead the nation in the very trying times when many people wished to split off or cause divisions.

Then I inherited this legacy and I added to it the enablement of technology.

Hanover, under my reign, has been at the forefront of technology and it has paid off with huge dividends. We have citizens around the globe who participate in the building of the Kingdom.

Today we expand into a new frontier of technology that offers us more options that ever before! From Horizon to horizon Second life offers the Kingdom the opportunity to be more and serve more than ever before.

Today marks the day we open the doors and invite the world in to be part of the vision of participation, unity and technology to forge a kingdom that is unlike any other in the history of the world.

Today we have representatives here of the Kingdom of Hatay, a nation like our own, who will join us in this effort as ally.

We have representatives from the Celtic Kingdom, a kingdom that already exists in Second Life.

We embrace both nation building efforts as fellow sojurnours and will lend our help and support to both, while also doing our best to lead the way of being not only a nation in our daily physical existance, and only on the web as fancy sites and forums, but in this virtual existance as well.

As I look around I see so many who helped in special ways both great and small. From simple encouragement to doing heavy lifting of construction people have made this vision a reality. Today fills me with great hope and optimism in the future of New Bergen and Hanover. Everything you see around you was created by volunteers. People who just wanted to help.

Not even colonists yet and still they flocked to the cause.

First among them is Wrath Crosby, the first colonist of New Bergen, who has spent countless hours making this moment a reality. Then we have Kiku Little, who put her expertise into the garden on the roof, and who with Lilac Niven have created an amazing centerpiece for the colony. I see Raymond Habilis, who helped on the assembly building in the valley.

Not everyone who contributed so much can be present, such as Hon Hin who is working diligently to finish the cathedral.

I think of Sir Aderyn Villiers, who wanted to be here tonight but was called away. Sir Aderyn has worked with the Crown in helping to bridge the gap between the current and the future by working in Parliament to pass the New Bergen act.

New Bergen would be nothing without your time and energy. Please accept the heartfelt thanks of a nation.

Finally, I must personally give my thanks to Her Majesty who has payed the price in personal terms to see this dream come true. You are forever in my heart my love.

And now, on to the business at hand!

Wrath Crosby, for you excellent devotion, pricelss advice, true and faithful aliegence, please come before me.

It gives me great pleasure to install you into the office of Governor General of the Colony of New Bergen, with all the rights, duties, obligations, benefits and blessings due your office.

Do you, before God and these witnesses, accept this office?

[Wrath indicated the affirmative]

Please accept this, the Sceptre of the New Bergen, as a token of your office and symbol of our trust in you.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Wrath Crosby, the first Governor General of the Colony of New Bergen.

New Bergen Ready for the Public Opening!

Their Majesties surveyed the colony, and were very pleased with the progress. They toured the garden, it was all properly in order. The palace Throne room is in place. Security arrangements have been made and rechecked. The assembly building is ready. The commons are ready. The staff is fully trained. Only a hand full of details remain.

Tomorrow, as scheduled, will be the public opening of the colony.

IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND, USE THIS SL-URL:http://slurl.com/secondlife/New%20Bergen/74/182/44/



NEW BERGEN
Public Opening
October 28th, 2007

All times are in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), the official time of Second Life, shown at the top right of your Second Life window.

4:00 PM
Guest may begin to arrive (teleport now allowed)

4:30 PM
Staff asked to arrive to be prepred for any last minute changes

5:30 PM
Outer doors to palace open

6:00 PM
Procession begins

* Dignitaries enter via side chamber and take their designated seats

* Her Majesty enters via the Queens chamber and takes her Throne

* His Majesty enters via the Kings chamber and takes his Throne


6:10 PM
Gracious Speech from the Throne

6:25 PM
Installment of Governor General

6:30 PM
Proclaimation of New Bergen Open to the Public

6:45 PM
Exit

* His Majesty exits via the Kings chamber

* Her Majesty exits via the Queens chamber

* Dignitaries exits via side chamber

* Governor General exits the Throne room

* General departure


Conclusion of ceremony

Follow on events include:

7:15 PM
Their Majesties to meet with dignitaries in the residential area

7:45 PM
Their Majesties to meet with press

8:15 PM
Her Majesty to retire for the evening

8:30 PM
His Majesty to meet at the "Party in the Garden"

Garden on the Roof Ready!

The Royal Gardener, Kiku Little, presented the "Garden on the Roof" to His Majesty, who received it with much delight. This is one of the pivotal parts of the colonial opening ceremony as the after party is planned to be here.

The garden represents the four classic elements of antiquity, earth, water, wind and fire. The rocks represent the earth, and the pools the water, and being placed on the highest point in New Bergen literally puts the garden in the sky to represent the air. The garden is not complete without the people who represent the fire, because it is only with fire that these other elements can take shape and, in this context, have meaning.

Here is the garden from the view of the standard observer in the garden:

Here you can see the very fine detail work on the plants in the garden. These are no simple green blobs, but delicate and precise life like renditions.

Here you can see the fine inlay work applied to the structural parts of the garden.

A nice overhead shot to show the layout of the complete garden.

Finally, an overall perspective view to show the whole garden in it's grand scale and opulence.

His Majesty was very moved by this work and believes that this garden is the nicest one yet constructed in Second Life.

The Ceremony Draws Near

His Majesty and many others were present today to rehears the ceremony. It has never been done before by any of the people present in the Second Life medium. The Throne room is still under construction, and there are a thousand and one details left before the doors are thrown open to the world.

"We go, ready or not" Said His Majesty.

Indeed, New Bergen cannot possibly be totally completed before the first colonist officially takes up residence as the colonists themselves are responsible for the majority of New Bergen. Most of New Bergen is bare land waiting to be built upon.

At this time it looks as it 20-40 people total, including participants, will be present for the ceremony.

The Guest list has grown to include the Queen of Hatay, and His Majesty of the Celtic Kingdom.

The Cathedral is Progressing

His Majesty and the Archbishop have both been monitoring the progress of the church construction. Here you can see both the real world church that is the inspiration for the New Bergen rendition, and the rendition under construction.

You can also see many of the supplies being stgored up to decorate the Catherdral once the structure is in place.

His Grace already has a bevy of change requests, but His Majesty delayed any changes until after the public opening.

Commons Ready For The Public

His Majesty watched as the final touches were put on the commons area. These low cost housing units provide a nice place for colonist of modest means to fully participate in the colonial community.

New Bergen has had as one of its major emphasis, from the beginning, to provide a place where all people could come and enjoy the colonial life and atmosphere. The colony exists to serve the people, all the people, not just those of significant means.

New Bergen offers colonists to option to simple accept one of these existing models, or build their own personal dwelling.

New Bergen Gets Dressed for Halloween

His Majesty reviewed the decorations that are going to be placed around New Bergen. Hes Directive was "Harmless fun, not scary or gory" for the nature of the decorative items. You cannot tell here, but many of the items are animated which adds to the fun.

The pace around New Bergen is approaching frantic as the deadline for the public opening draws near. His Majesty announced that New Bergen would be open no later than October 31st.

Other items of interest include security measures and work programs.

Security Measures:
Part of the sad reality of life is that not everyone is polite. Micronations have been victimized by forum spam, flamers and other anti-social behavior in their online forums infrastructures for years. Second Life has its anti-social population as well who practice various hostile acts collectively knowns as "griefing". Griefing can make an otherwise excellent region into an untenable place which drives off participants. His Majesty has put protections in place including scripted sentries who guard the entrances and human sentries who can respond quickly should someone become belligerent.

Work Programs:
New Bergen offers colonists many opportunities to contribute to the community beyond assembly meetings and building their homes. The colonial government compensates colonists who contribute to the upkeep of the colony.

Two examples should illustrate their value:
First, landscaping is in constant need. Weeds grow in and around the common areas of the colony and someone has to pluck them. Colonists who take on this duty can earn credit for their rent, with the most productive colonist earning a full weeks* rent free.

Second, liter control. Trash of various types can be found around the common areas of the colony and it needs to be picked up. The compensation plan for this duty is still being considered.

*It is customary in Second Life to charge rent by the week, not the month.

NOTES:
In the background you can see the assembly building in its latest stage of construction. Unlike physical buildings that must be built from the ground up, the structures in Second Life can be built in any order. Here the floors are being lined up before final construction.

His Majesty Reviews the Palace Statue

The Royal Architect began reassembling the Saint George statue that graced the old palace. It had been taken into storage when the old palace was also put in storage for the move to New Bergen. In a moment of levity His Majesty hopped up on the stump where the head would be attached and took this photo.


In other business the Assembly building made more progress this evening and the basic seating arrangement was approved. Sir Aderyn was very helpful in the design process.

There remain a bevy of details to attend before the public opening. The colony is expected to be a flurry of activity this weekend as the grand opening date approaches.

Assembly Building Seating Reworked

Sir Aderyn and the Prime Minister both requested that the Assembly seating be more traditional. This is an easy request to accommodate, as none of the details of the Assembly building are final.

Here is a new mock-up of the proposed seating.

Palace Begins to Really Take Form

The Royal Architect has been hard at work making good on his promise to make the Palace the most opulent building yet to grace Second Life. The Palace is, of course, the Crown jewel of New Bergen and sets the tone by which all the rest of the inhabitants will follow.

Here you can see the two grand Veranda's that overlook New Bergen. You can also see the Great entrance, and the tallest towers. Of course, it still looks like it is under construction, but that is because it is.

You can't see it here, but on the roof shall be the Royal garden. It is just in the planning stages now. Photos will be forth coming.

Assembly Building Has Started

His Majesty was happy to see preliminary progress on the Assembly building for New Bergen. The colonial assembly is a vital part of good governance in the Colony and it shall be there from the first possible moment that the colony accepts new colonists as each colonist is allowed a seat on the assembly.

You can see here the initial layout being set up and tested to make sure there is enough room for all the participants to move around comfortably, etc.



These are the initial layout plans put forth by Sir Aderyn. You can see how the building is coming along with respect to the layout.

Cathedral Construction Begins!

The Church of Hanover, long an important institution of the nation, began construction of the cathedral. You can see here the columns that will support the cupola. The cathedral is being constructed by Mr. Hon Hin, an accomplished architect who builds churches exclusively. It is expected to be one of the grandest structures in New Bergen, and perhaps in all of Second Life as well.

More Additions

His Majesty was pleased to see that the coastal area has continued to be developed. Here you can see a nice harbor slip that is under construction. It will greet people who come from other areas by boat. In the distance behind the slip is the beginnings of a stone bridge that connects New Bergen to a smaller near by island.

Moon Over the Palace

His Majesty took a rare break from his duties of state to admire the setting moon. Her Majesty was unable to join the viewing.

Palace Construction Going Strong

His Majesty was treated to the sight of palace construction in full swing. Alexander I watched as the Royal Architect installed a lovely waterfall effect. They discussed the future plans for the palace a bit, with special attention being paid to the Royal Garden. The Garden is of special interest to His Majesty as he very much enjoys both entertaining guests in the garden as well as soothing moments of solitude.

The palace represents one of the most important aspects of New Bergen as it sets the tone for the entire colony.

New Bergen has a Micronational Guest

His Majesty was joined by Raymond Habilis, a man who has been interested in Micronationalism for a while and hopes to found his own nation some day. He was kind enough to conscent to a photo, shown below.

During the meeting His majesty asked him, among other things, what he thought New Bergen meant to Micronationalism at large and Raymond Habilis had this to say:

I have had an interest in micronations for about a year or so now. I discovered a few micronation forums a week ago, and there is where I saw entries for New Bergen. It seems quite innovative, to bring a micronation online. Such an environment could be a good test grounds for government.

That is exactly the point. New Bergen offers an entire new set of possibilities for governments to have to cope with. The virtual environment is not a fantasy in the same way that some forums dependant nations are. Things in Second Life are real in the sence that they are whole in the closed system that is Second Life. A building to an avatar is as substantial as a building to a human body. That is, one operates in using the laws that govern the virtual universe, and the other using the laws that govern the physical universe.

His Majesty Reviews Early Construction

His Majesty was at New Bergen today reviewing the early construction efforts of the Royal Architect (Wrath Crosby). Wrath started with an impressive guard tower at the harbor entrance. It sends the clear message that New Bergen is a emerging force in Second Life to those who may be sailing by. This is not by accident because people can reach New Bergen by ship or boat from adjoining regions, so of which specialize in water environments. The tower welcomes them, and sets the proper tone at the same time.


Then His Majesty looked at the other end of the harbor, where the palace is just not laying its foundation. Soon this rough beginning will be an completed palace worthy of the Gagarin Dynasty.

Also, this is the view from inside the inner courtyard.


The colonial plans call for building the Royal Palace, the government building and a few other common structures, then opening the rest of the land to all the imaginations and energy of the colonists.

New Bergen continues to set the highest level yet for online micronational efforts.

Not shown in these pictures is the extensive setup in all the other areas of the colony in preparation for the first colonists.

Hanoverians and Colonists Meet

Hanoverians have begun to explore New Bergen. Here you can see His Majesty of course, and on the far left the Captain of the Guard, then Vulstanius the very newly arrived Archbishop of Bergen (who had to be nearly tied down to be caught in the photo without his proper attire), then our good friend Kaheaniehal and on the far right the Royal Gardener (You will likely see her work soon.) all posing for a nice photo in front of the medieval style church.



In addition, the neighbors have begun to take notice and come introduce themselves. Here His Majesty and the Archbishop are meeting with two of them now and explaining the plans for New Bergen. In fact, if you look at the detail in the picture (click for bigger view) you will see a box that marks where the Assembly building shall be placed.

His Majesty Meets with His Majesty!

His Majesty Alexander hosted a review of the colony by His Majesty Gnomey of The Celtic Kingdom and then they retired to a pub in the domain of His Majesty Gnomey for a group photo to commemerate the event.

Here you can also see HRH Highness Danu Grayson of The Celtic Kingdom and Sir Aderyn Evereste.

Besides the company and lively conversation a solid foundation for an excellent friendship was laid between the two sovereigns. The Celtic Kingdom and the Kingdom of Hanover have very similar goals. We will be exploring how to leverage all our resources to advance the goals of both nations.

The Initial Village Layout

Here is the layout plan for the village

His Majesty Surveys The Progress

The virtual landscaping has begun in earnest.

For those not familiar with the process, there are 65,536 square meters that must be shaped. They need to be partitioned into parcels so that the renters can control their areas individually. It is a long process and the Royal Architect has jumped in with all his effort.

Here you can see one of the lower areas. The red lines are the parcels that will be used for residential and commercial buildings as tenants, residents and citizens move in.



This view looks up onto the highest point in New Bergen. This is where the Royal Palace is to be built. Plans are just now being drawn up for what to build on the site, but His Majesty's command is that the palace be "The most glorious building in all of Second Life". That is a tall order that will require extraordinary effort, but the Royal Architect is no normal man.


Here you can see some of the other lower lands, and again the parcel lines are shown in red.


This what the view looks like from the palace hill, at midnight.

Progress is on track and soon the land will be available for settlers, colonists, pioneers and other adventurous folk to begin building the community that will be.


Legal Matters
The jurisdiction of the New Bergen colony is entirely with the Crown, at the moment. Provisional authority has been granted to the Royal Architect, naming him as Governor General of the colony, until such time as the Hanoverian Parliament may act.

His Majesty Makes the Official Claim

His Majesty Plants the Flag

His Majesty personally planted the flag on New Bergen and claimed the virtual land for Hanover.

It was a somber moment as the King planted the first Hanoverian virtual foot prints in the virtual land, one full of potential and awesome responsibility.

LET THE WORK BEGIN!

New Bergen Founded!

ANNOUNCEMENT:
The House of Gagarin is proud to announce that the colony of New Bergen has been officially founded.

Today marks a pivotal point in the future of Hanover. It is today that the Kingdom first laid claim to its first virtual world land. This marks a transition from the pure landless state to a territorial nation.

It is the fondest hope of the Crown that this new expansion to the Kingdom will bring prosperity to all Hanoverians. By having virtual land the citizens of Hanover will better be able to express their individuality, and their community.

It's original state:

MAP VIEW

HIS MAJESTY SEES HIS NEW REALM FOR THE FIRST TIME

Next Steps:
Unlike terrestrial land, virtual land may be shaped to the needs of the owner. This key advantage will be exploited immediately as the Royal Architect transforms the landscape to better support the expected population.

As soon as the landscaping phase is completed construction on the palace grounds, cathedral, parliament and other common buildings will begin.

The land will be opened to colonists just as soon as it is surveyed and parceled out.


HOW DO YOU VISIT?
You will need a Second Life account (they are free)
Log in
Search for "New Bergen"
Click Teleport

Technical note: There may be a delay from time this is posted until access rights are opened up while some important things are taken care of, but this will be kept to a minimum. This announcement is more for historical purposes and is not meant to represent the beginning of any meaningful promotional push.