Modern cities constantly expand and look shapeless and chaotic from a bird’s-eye view. A blob and a blob. Nevertheless, this is not a pattern. There are cities on Earth that have a very interesting layout. If you find them on a map or look at them from the sky, you can see many interesting things: a butterfly, a Roman helmet, and even stars. And all this is thanks to the architects, who laid a certain meaning in the plan of these settlements. For example, we suggest looking at 6 such cities in different parts of the world.
6 cities in the world with the most unusual layout
1. Washington is a city of “Masonic” symbols
Washington was laid out in the 1790s. Before starting to build the capital, architect Andrew Elliott installed 40 boulders along the border of the future city, which became a marker for the author of the city plan, Pierre L’Enfant. The latter incorporated many hidden symbols into the project, knowing which, you understand that the city is designed with deep meaning.
The streets are designed in a “grid” (vertical lines intersect with horizontal ones), and important buildings in squares look like circles on the map. After a while, his colleague Andrew Elliott, who replaced l’enfant, fixed something in the project, after which the figures of the stars appeared in the city plan, and they are visible if you look at the city from the sky. Some believe that these are Masonic symbols.
2. Brasilia is a city with wings
Brasilia began to develop in the middle of the last century when it was given the capital status after Rio. Lucio Costa, the chief architect of Brazil’s new capital, conceived the city as a butterfly. Still, everyone who looks at a modern map of the metropolis sees an airplane or a bird spreading its wings.
However, regardless of who sees what in this image, there is a particular system in the city’s layout. Residential neighborhoods have been built where the wings are located, and in the center, where the wings converge, is the Three Authorities Square. It is where the National Congress and other important administrative buildings are located.
3. Chandigarh is a rectangular city
The city of Chandigarh in India consists of about 50 even rectangles, and it was designed by the famous Le Corbusier and two venerable colleagues – Mayer and Nowitzki.
If you visit this city, you can admire its unusual architecture (by the way, it was built in honor of the goddess Chandi, which is evident from the name).Visit. A F R I N I K .C O M.For the full article. The administrative buildings have interesting arches, invented by Le Corbusier to circulate the air better. Well, if you look at the plan of Chandigarh or open its map, you can see that each of its 47 rectangles is a separate administrative unit, like a separate small town with its own school, administration, temple, and so on.
4. Palmanova – a city in the form of a star
This city is not very well known; it is located in Italy near Venice, and its population is only 5 thousand people. Palmanova was built back in the 16th century as a fort protecting Venice from a possible attack by Ottoman troops, and it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The town is surrounded by a moat and nine evenly spaced bastions (which is convenient in terms of protection).
In addition, it is located below sea level, which the Italians also considered when choosing it as a fortification site. But this city is not only interesting for its rich history: on the map, Palma Nova looks like a nine-pointed star. The architect who designed the town was believed to have been influenced by Renaissance culture.
5. Jaipur – the city of pink squares
The city of Jaipur, whose houses are built of local pink stone, is located in India. It was laid out in 1727, and local Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II participated in its planning. After studying a lot of literature on construction and architecture, the Indian prince decided to be guided by the principles of Vastu shastra, an Indian trend in construction based on symmetry and unity of architecture with nature. Thus, Jaipur is divided into nine rectangles, which represent the city’s nine districts, and inside there are squares.
6. El Salvador – a city in the form of a Roman helmet
The Chilean city of San Salvador was built in the middle of the last century for miners. Large coal deposits were discovered in the area, and the authorities decided to start mining it. According to legend, the head of the coal company came to inspect the site for the city’s future with his son, and he had a toy Roman helmet with him. Whether it’s an accident or a coincidence, it’s the shape of the helmet that San Salvador now has.
Raymond Olson developed the city plan. As the architect assured, he was guided solely by the features of the landscape when creating the project and wanted the layout to be not banal. In any case, it turned out to be funny: the city has the shape of an amphitheater, and, from a bird’s-eye view, it resembles a Roman helmet.
Looking at our planet from space, you can see many amazing and interesting things! Some objects look so fascinating and unusual that sometimes you think it’s worth taking risks and making dangerous flights for the sake of these indescribable sensations. However, we can see satellite images without risky trips and without getting up from the couch, thanks to satellites.
