Vineta

Vineta (sometimes Wineta) is the name of a mythical city at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The myth evolved around the tradition about the medieval emporium called Jumne, Jomsborg (with which Vineta is sometimes identified), Julin or similar names by the chronicles.

Myth

There are several Vineta myths, all of them having in common an excessive, voluptuous or blasphemous way of life of the Vinetans who were then punished by a flood which took the city to the bottom of the Baltic. In some variants of the myth, the city or parts thereof reappear on certain days or can be seen from a boat, making the warning transported by the myth more tangible for the audience.

Primary sources

Vineta (board game)

Vineta is a strategy board game based loosely on the fabled island of Vineta. In the game, players take on the roles of Norse Gods trying to sink 8 of the 9 districts of Vineta with tidal waves while trying to save their followers. It was published by Winning Moves Games USA in 2008 as the fifth game in its Immortal Eyes line. This game is no longer in production.

Gameplay

The goal of the game is to have the most points. Points are earned by keeping followers alive on the last island district at the end of the game, collecting them from sinking districts, collecting others' followers, and from having your chosen district be the last one remaining.

Players start the game by getting two tiles, showing them their follower color and the island section they wish to protect. The follower houses are randomly placed around the board by the players and they each shuffle and draw seven cards from their decks. The game is played over 8 rounds with 3 turns in each round. Each turn, players lay a card they wish to play that turn face-down. The start player for the turn reveals and plays their card and the other players do the same, drawing back to seven cards after playing. Once all have played their cards, the start player token passes and the next turn begins.

Vineta (Swakopmund)

Vineta is one of the suburbs of the town of Swakopmund in Namibia. This neighbourhood is located to the north of the town centre and extends over 3 km along the Atlantic coast. To the east it borders on the C34 road and the Tamariskia neighbourhood.

When it was built in the 1950s, it was located about 1 km north of the town centre, with only sand and some shacks inhabited by the coloured people in between. Now the centre and Vineta form a contiguous area.

Most houses in Vineta originally belonged to white people in the inland, and the houses were used as holiday houses. Now it is inhabited by people belonging to the middle and the upper stratums of the society. There are also some apartment buildings, schools and recreational facilities in the neighbourhood.

Swakopmund Waterfront

A neighbourhood called Swakopmund Waterfront in a certain part of Vineta has been planned since 2002, but due to financial problems the construction began only in 2007. In 2004, the Waterfront was elevated to the status of a separate district, whereas earlier it had been part of Vineta. Finally, plans to build a 16,000 square metre area were approved. The construction is to be done by the South African company Safari Developments, worth 400 to 500 million Namibian dollars.