Peering down at star-shaped cities from space
- Star-shaped cities made for useful fortifications in Europe hundreds of years ago.
- Armies used wide moats and protruding bastions as defense against invaders. These communities also helped defend their nation’s borders.
- See four of them from space – in the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and France – whose layouts survive to this day.
ESA published this original story on December 19, 2024. Edits by EarthSky.
Star-shaped cities from space
Star-shaped cities are scattered across Europe, their geometric designs easier to appreciate when viewed from above. The concept of building star-shaped fortresses originated in Italy during the Renaissance. At the time, medieval walls proved ineffective against advances in warfare, particularly gunpowder and cannons. So wide moats and protruding bastions made it harder for enemies to exploit blind spots or breach fortifications.
Here are four examples of such cities, arranged clockwise from the top left: Bourtange in the Netherlands, Palmanova in Italy, Almeida in Portugal and Neuf-Brisach in France. The green and red hues are from a different band combinations during image processing to generate true-color (green) and false-color (red) visuals.
Bourtange, Netherlands
Fort Bourtange is in northeastern Netherlands, near the German border. It was built in 1593 as a military fortification to guard the only road connecting Germany and the city of Groningen. Converted into a village in 1851, it retains its iconic pentagonal shape and geometric street pattern. Today, the entire site serves as a museum, preserving its historical and architectural significance.
Palmanova, Italy
Palmanova, which lies in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Venetians built it to defend the Republic’s northeast border. It’s a quintessential example of a Renaissance star fortress. And it’s one of the largest and best-preserved geometric towns. Palmanova’s radial design extends from a central hexagonal square, the “Piazza del Duomo,” with concentric rings crossed by straight avenues. A star-shaped double perimeter of fortifications surrounds this internal area.
Almeida, Portugal
The fortress of Almeida lies on a high plain in northeast Portugal, close to the Spanish border. It played a crucial role in defending Portugal’s border during its early years of independence. As you can see in the image, striking star-shaped ramparts surround its old town.
Neuf-Brisach, France
Located in the Alsace region of France near the German border, Neuf-Brisach was built in 1697 on the French side of the Rhine, after the loss of Breisach on the opposite bank. The town’s name – “Neuf,” meaning new in French – reflects its origins. Designed for both civilian and military use, Neuf-Brisach has a central octagonal layout with streets arranged in a square grid. It is part of the UNESCO listed network of fortifications created by Louis XIV’s famed engineer, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.
All images use very-high resolution data from missions within ESA’s Third Party Missions program. The program allows the wider scientific community access to high-quality commercial data from a wide range of Earth observation satellite missions.
Bottom line: Satellites in space give us a clear view of these star-shaped cities in Europe. Read more about them here.
Read more: Earth images from space: 10 incredible photos of our planet
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