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With the festive season approaching, even Earth-observing satellites are getting into the spirit, capturing a stunning compilation of European cities that resemble stars.<\/p>\n
Star-shaped cities are scattered across Europe, their geometric designs most appreciated when viewed from above. The concept of building star-shaped fortresses originated in Italy during the Renaissance, as medieval walls proved ineffective against advances in warfare, particularly gunpowder and cannons. Wide moats and protruding bastions made it harder for enemies to exploit blind spots or breach fortifications.<\/p>\n
Four examples of such cities can be seen here, 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 evoke a Christmas vibe, achieved through different band combinations during image processing to generate true-colour (green) and false-colour (red) visuals.<\/p>\n
\nBourtange, Netherlands<\/b>
Located in northeast Netherlands, near the German border, Fort Bourtange 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\u00a0museum, preserving its historical and architectural significance.<\/p>\n
\nPalmanova, Italy<\/b>
Palmanova, which lies in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built by the Venetians to defend the Republic\u2019s northeast border, it is a quintessential example of a Renaissance star fortress and is one of the largest and best preserved geometric towns. Palmanova\u2019s radial design extends from a central hexagonal square, the \u2018Piazza del Duomo\u2019, with concentric rings crossed by straight avenues. This internal area is surrounded by a star-shaped double perimeter of fortifications.<\/p>\n
\nAlmeida, Portugal<\/b>
Situated on a high plain in northeast Portugal, close to the Spanish border, lies the fortress of Almeida. It played a crucial role in defending Portugal\u2019s border during its early years of independence. As seen in the image, its old town is surrounded by striking star-shaped ramparts.<\/p>\n
\nNeuf-Brisach, France<\/b>
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\u2019s name \u2018Neuf\u2019, 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\u2019s famed engineer, S\u00e9bastien Le Prestre de Vauban.<\/p>\n
All images have been acquired using very-high resolution data from missions within ESA\u2019s Third Party Missions programme, which allows the wider scientific community access to high quality commercial data from a wide range of Earth observation satellite missions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n