The “Great Wall” of Bricklyn

Brenda Softbrick, The Bricklyn Eagle’s Culture & History correspondent
June 17, 2021

Summary of Article ➤ Understanding the Great Wall of Bricklyn is essential to understanding Bricklyn itself. A brief primer on the Great Wall.

One of the most puzzling aspects of Bricklyn to outlanders is the fact that only a small portion of the Realm of Bricklyn can be seen. While we know it is there, it is blocked from view by the Great Wall of Bricklyn.

Those Who Know of the Outland

The Great Wall of Bricklyn rises to the West of downtown and the Bricklyn Harbor, blocking outlanders’ views of much of Bricklyn.

Within Bricklyn itself, those told of the Wall (and of the existence of Bricklyn’s “twinned” city of Burlington, VT) include:

the Chief Cosmologist,
the Mayor of Bricklyn,
the Chief Prognosticator,
the Seven Councilors on the Federal Council of the Realm,
the Chief Justice,
the Principal Historian,
the City Planning Director
the Chief Scientist,
the Principal Psychologist,
the President of the Legotary,
officials in the Realm’s Inland & Outland Consulates,
select staff at the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce, and
carefully vetted reporters for The Bricklyn Eagle, myself included.

There are several hundred other Bricklynites who are also part of the “Samfundet af de kyndige” (usually simply referred to as The Samfundet). This is translated from Danish as “the Community or Society of the Knowledgeable Ones.” These “Kyndige” Bricklynites were (for reasons we are not authorized to publish) initially contacted by the Samfundet📍 and then made aware of the existence of the Outland world.

Suffice it to say, there are severe penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of being a Kynidge and part of the Samfundet to those who are not.

➤ The vast majority of Bricklynites remain in blissful ignorance of how living “ud over muren” (beyond the Wall) shields their lives from the “prying” eyes of outlanders — or, to put it more positively, from the fascinated glances of tourists visiting Bricklyn!

Scientists Still at a Loss to Explain the Great Wall

Image of ghost walking down the street — *No, Bricklynites are not like ghosts walking down streets or through walls!*

What still cannot be explained by the Bricklyn scientific community is why residents of the Realm of Bricklyn can neither see the Great Wall nor be affected in the least by it In their daily lives.📍

📍 For a look at a somewhat analogous phenomena, see The City & the City.

Bricklynites truly seem to be able to walk through walls! Yet we know they are not ghosts!

So what is hidden beyond the Great Wall? Most significantly, most of South Bricklyn (including the airport; the regional high school; and the medical center) and part of the small historic enclave of Bricklyn Junction. A substantial portion of Bricklyn itself — including most residential and commercial districts — is also shielded from visitors’ view by the Wall.

graphic of the Great Wall of China — Some have drawn parallels between the Great Wall of Bricklyn and the Great Wall of China. While both have the goal of protecting their population — whether from curious outsiders for Bricklyn or invading hordes for China — the Great Wall of Bricklyn is truly an invisible presence for all but a select few citizens of the Realm of Bricklyn.

What remains inside the bounds of the Wall, and is thus visible to outlanders like you?

Key areas visible to visitors include:

Downtown Bricklyn (where you’ll find government offices; the courthouse; city hall; the library; the museum; and the central railroad station);
Bricklyn Harbor and its ferry docks;
Lake Bricklyn;
portions of the Bricklyn Canal;
the South Bricklyn railyards; as well as the nearby North Street district; and
the Northside development in Bricklyn Jct.

*Bricklyn City Planning Director Tim Brickedy on bike/ped path in downtown Bricklyn. Brickedy is holding a copy of the City’s colorful new Municipal Plan. Nice cap Tim!*

Note also to those Outland Friends of Bricklyn looking to invest in or open a business within the Realm of Bricklyn, this can also be done only within the bounds of the Great Wall of Bricklyn. Outlanders, just like residents of the Realm, will need to comply with all applicable zoning regulations and licensing, health & safety, and employment requirements. Advice on navigating the regulatory process can be obtained by contacting Bricklyn City Planning Director Tim Brickedy.

➤ There’s another “wall” in Bricklyn, but one that prevents most Bricklynites from seeing into the neighboring Outland Cities of Burlington and South Burlington, Vermont. For more on this mysterious barrier.