Guri
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Guri (グリ, also written Glie or Glee) is the walled town where the story of Haibane Renmei takes place. Throughout the story the name Glie is applied to both the town proper, and the entire area within the wall.
Contents
Maps
There is a map of Glie in the Haibane lifestyle diary, which gives the relative locations of most of it's major features and the locations that appear in the story (although it probably shouldn't be considered as being 'to scale')
The map also shows an"abandoned house at the farming village", which may be an as-yet unseen haibane nest; One of two mentioned in the dojin which do not appear in the anime. There is, however, no clue as to the location of the "artists colony" which is also mentioned.
The Walls: The walls completely encircle Glie, and define both the boundries of the town and most aspects of the lives of it's inhabitants. Close up, the walls appear more like a cliff face than any human construction.
One suprise that the map holds is that the walls themselves are irregular, rather than circular, which you would expect from the reccuring use of circles as a motif in the anime.The Town of Guri
Great Gate: The great gate is the only(known)means of entry or exit from Glie. Over time the gate was sealed, but the Toga are still able to bring items into Glie through the side door.
Main Square: Immediately in front of the gates we have the main square; a marketplace and the venue for major social events such as the end of the year festivities. This is where the Toga set up to trade during thier visits, and as far as they come into Glie proper.
At least officialy. . .
Main Street: Main Street runs from the city's central plaza the Great Gate and appears to ba Glie's commercial centre, insofar as that term has any meaning in a place like Glie. Wether it actually has a name is unknown. Main street features some impressive architecture, and is probably the location of Glie's major financial, commercial or social institutions. If you want banks, guild halls, or just the local equivalent of Fortnum and Masons, this would be a good place to start looking.
Central plaza:The hub of Glie, the plaza is a circular stone-flagged area surrounded by blocks of some of Glie's tallest buildings. But the clock tower in the centre looks down on them all. The plaza features a fountain, a number of round benches, and a variable number of idlers depending on how good the weather is.
Clock Tower: Standing in the centre of the plaza, the clocktower is far and away the tallest building in Glie; Just not tall enough to see beyond the wall. . .
Below the tower, and attatched to it, is a shop dealing in the sale and repair of timepieces of all kinds (and presumably other precision instruments) The duties of it's owner include the maintinence of the great pendulum clock in the tower, although thier commercial activities could just as easily be considered a sideline to their duty of care to Glie's centeral timepiece. During the show Kana works at the clock tower.
Library: Glie has a suprisingly large library. Although naturally none of it's books appear to have anything to say about the wall or the world outside. The books themselves are supplied by trade with the Toga. Although the fact a bookbinder's services are employed during the series suggests that at least some books are produced within the town itself.
The library has apparently undergone some degree of modernisation recently (at least, we are informed it used to have a rather unwelcoming 'scholars only' atmosphere) However, any overhaul seems to have been confined to it's day-to-day operation, as the building's fabric and much of the interior clearly show thier age.
The library also houses a small museum. Although this is little more than a couple of rooms full of assorted curios.
During the series Nemu and Sumika work at the library.
Old Bakery: There are apparently a number of bakeries in Glie, as we are informed that this is "the oldest one in town". Sadly that doesn't say much, other than it being the oldest one in town. Hikari works at the bakery during the show. One odd detail is that the bakers shop and the bakery proper are in separate buildings, and getting from one to another involves crossing an alley or courtyard. It is up to the reader to decide wether this is because the shop is a later aquisition, or because the baker's family live over thier shop and the ovens are a fire hazard.
Cafe Kartie: A comfortable eaterie in a small square somewhere off main street, offering food to eat in or take away. In warmer weather tables are set up outside. Kuu waits tables here during the story, although this doesn't appear to be a full time job. The cafe's name may be a reference to aBe's earlier work NieA_7
The Thrift shop: One of a number of places in Glie licenced to deal with the haibane, and the only one we see. The store is a venerable used clothing shop, owned by a slacker type who does his best to cultivate an off-hand attitude towards unfortunate details like customers. The shopkeeper seems to treat his haibane customers as a nuisance, but shows a surprisingly soft side where they are concerned.
Notes, Queries, and speculation.
The Town.
Does Glie have a newspaper?
Signage in the town, when it appears, is English. Why do the Renmei use kana?
The library; The library's books are supplied by the toga, or at least some are, which implies a degree of censorship by them to prevent details of the outside world leaking in. Given that no attempt at censorship has ever been a hundred percent successful, who knows what's lurking in the stacks?
Factory District
The east end of Glie appears to hold most of it's manufacturing infrastructure, along with mainly residential areas. The area is refered to as the 'factory district', although Glie has little evidence of heavy industry.
Bridge: Built of brick and pointed with stone, The bridge connects the Central district of Guri to the factory district.
Abandoned factory: The Abandoned factory is a coed Haibane nest in the factory district.
Farming district
The areas around Glie are fairly heavily cultivated, much as you'd expect in a closed community. Agricultural activity seems to be centered on the south of town.
Abandoned farmhouse: Probable haibane nest; There are few details other than it's location and likely name.
The abandoned farmhouse (and it's problems) Get investigeted further in Majic's net-fic Mado of Stone Mill.
Old Home
Old Home: Haibane nest, and setting for much of the story. The building is in a poor state of repair, whith whole wings being out of commission.
The Hill Of Winds: The Hill of Winds is filled with windmills that provide electrical power to the city of Glie and Old Home. The hills themselves are quite beautiful, and a pleasant enough spot to spend a sunny day.
The Western Woods
The Western Woods: Dense, wild and growing all the way up to the wall the western woods are a dangerous place for haibane (and probably not that safe for humans) Stories state that families from the farming district once worked out in these woods, but there really isn't much evidence to support this idea other than, “Sadako's Well.” Either way, the woods have been fairly empty, and generaly avoided, for generations.
Dry well: A dry well, to the west of old home. The only real evidence of any form of human prescence in the woods, other than the temple complex. Although some might dispute the temples status as a sign of human activity. . . During the series Rakka falls down the well, and while unconcious at the bottom manages to recover the missing portions of her cocoon dream.
Ruined temple: Deep in the western woods, set in a clearing and overlooked by the wall, are the remains of a temple complex; Although what form of worship took place here is a mystery. Now nothing remains exept a few pillars, a scattering of stones and a stepped altar. It is in this place, and upon the altar-stone that haibane take thier "Day of Flight" Although there are no eye-witness reports of what occurs during the day of flight, the halo left here acts as a sobering reminder of thier departure. Excavations have apparently been made around the site in the past, although they haven't thrown much light on the temple's history. Some of the artifacts recovered, most notably the famous 'stone book', are displayed in the library's museum.
Chapel: A small, ruined building near the ruined temple. The chapel may have been attatched to the temple complex, but if so it appears to have been built a later addition, as archtecturally it is completely different from the temple proper.
Haibane Renmei
The Haibane Renmei temple: Despite it's name the temple seems more a monastic refuge than a place of worship. Certainly, those who live there appear to have severed all ties with the world. The temple is a considerable distance from the north of town, or indeed from any other habitation, and set on an inaccessable rocky ledge. It is apparently only visited by the haibane, and then infrequently.
Graveyard: Another location that is mentioned but not seen during the series, The graveyard is apparently somewhere near the Renmei temple. Presumably the townspeople, and possibly the temple's residents, are buried here.
