City of Ehrenfest (Anime)

The City of Ehrenfest (エーレンフェスト, Eerenfesuto) is the primary setting of Ascendance of a Bookworm. It is the capital city of the duchy of Ehrenfest.

A bustling and populous city, Ehrenfest is divided into districts that reflect its strict class hierarchy, including the commoners' lower city, the temple and the Noble’s Quarter.

The city of Ehrenfest originally consisted of only the area now known as the Noble's Quarter. The temple was originally an inn that served as a front gate while travelers were investigated, and the old city gate is now called the Noble's Gate.

When the first Aub Ehrenfest took governorship of the duchy 200 years ago, Ehrenfest was expanded to include the lower city as a demonstration of the new archduke's power and wealth.

The lower city (下町, shitamachi) is the commoners' district located in the southern half of Ehrenfest. A large wall separates it from the Noble's Quarter in the north, and the only means of traveling between the two on foot is to pass through the temple. In general, the poorest commoner neighborhoods are located near the south gate of the city, while more wealthy merchants live in the north, by the border to the Noble's Quarter.

All buildings in the lower city, in wealthy and poor neighborhoods alike, consist of multi-story townhouses. The first two levels are made of a white stone stone that resembles ivory, which was created by the archduke's magic many generations ago. Above that, newer construction made of wood, stone and plaster form additional levels, which can reach as high as six stories, plus an attic.

All commoners rely on public wells for their water supply, from which the water has to be carried whereever it is needed by hand in buckets or other containers.

In the south side of Ehrenfest, poorer families live in small rooms of ragged townhouses, usually with just one or two rooms for an entire family. Most families share a single bed. Some families living on the upper levels of the building use the attic to house smaller livestock, like chicken. The center of the neighborhood is the communal well, where everyone draws water.

Those who reside in this part of the lower city are commonly soldiers and craftsmen. Because they live so close to the south gate, commoner children often walk to the forest during the day to collect food and firewood for their families. Likewise, many workshops are located near the south gate, including the Myne Workshop.

An open-air marketplace is open during some parts of the year, when farmers bring their livestock and produce in from outside the city walls during the day, and return to their farming villages at night. Merchants and other vendors also sell wares at the market. Places of Interest:


 * Myne's House
 * Lutz's House
 * Myne Workshop

The farther north a building is in the lower city, the more decorative and well-kept it tends to be. In the wealthier merchant neighborhoods, the wooden upper levels are painted in bright colours and often have windowboxes full of flowers. The ivory lower floors are always left in their original colour.

In areas with business the ground-floor is where the store or worshop is located, with the second floor being reserved for the owner and their close family to live in. The third floors and above are then rented out to either more distant family members, employees or if there's room left, anyone the owner approves of and who can afford the rent. The least luxurious apartments at the top of the buildings are often rented to live-in apprentices.

Places of Interest:


 * Gilberta Company
 * Merchant's Guild
 * Othmar Company

Responsible for the security of the lower city are the soldiers of the city guard. In addition to guarding the city gates and acting as the local police force, the city guard is also responsible for cleaning the main roads of snow in the winter and cutting down Trombe that have grown too big for the scavanging children to deal with on their own. Soldiers of the city guard are recruited exclusively from commoner citizens and the entire guard is subordinate to the Knight's Order.

To prevent collusion and negligence of soldiers staying in the same place the entire time, the gate guards are rotated between the city gates every three years. For this purpose the gate guards are split into platoons that move in their entirety to their new assignment, from the Commander down to the freshest apprentice.


 * The south gate is located near the poorer craftsman's district, and commoner children regularly pass through during the day to collect firewood, hunt, and forage for food. The nearby farming town is also nearest to the southern gate. During harvest season many commoners travel there for "pig day".
 * The east gate is connected to the city road, so business is very lively due to the number of travelers. However, it's also less safe due to all the outsiders.
 * The west gate only connects to the harbour.
 * The north gate connects the noble's quarter and the lower city.

Located directly on the border between the lower city and the Noble's Quarter, the temple is the primary place of worship of the gods and the home of many religious ceremonies. It is the only temple of its kind in the duchy of Ehrenfest. The Ehrenfest orphanage is also located there.

Both nobles and commoners avoid entering the temple unless required for religious ceremonies or other business. Likewise, priests and shrine maidens live on temple grounds and do not leave unless summoned. As a result, there is very little traffic between the temple and the other areas of Ehrenfest.

The Noble's Quarter is located in the northern half of the city, separated from the commoners southern half by the temple. The Noble's Quarter is an opulent suburb, with all residential buildings being large mansions most having a big garden.

Unlike the lower city, the noble's quarter is being kept meticulously clean, mainly by the use of magic tools.


 * Suzuka has noted that the north side of the lower city would look like Rothenburg, Germany in the Manga Part 2 Volume 1 afterword.