Palmanova is a city in Italy constructed during the renaissance and it is the only city built following the ideals of a utopia. It is a concentric city with the form of a star, with three nine sided ring roads intersecting in the main military radiating streets. It was built at the end of the 16th century by the Venetian Republic which was, at the time, a major center of trade. It is actually considered to be a fort, because the military architect Giulio Savorgnano designed to be a Venetian military station to the eastern frontier as protection from the Ottoman Empire.
However, despite the pristine conditions and elegant layout of the new city, no one chose to move there, and by 1622 Venice was forced to pardon criminals and offer them free building lots and materials if they would agree to settle the town. Thus began the forced settlement of this magnificent planned space, which remains lifeless to this day and is visited only by curious scholars of Renaissance cities and bored soldiers who are still posted there to guard the Italian frontier.
(special thanks to reddit user porkcharsui187)
Further proof, as Spengler points out, that planned cities don’t work. Very interesting.
Oh that’s fucking cool
IT’S CENTRAL
GET AWAY FROM THERE
AHAHAH WWHOOHG FUUUUCKKK
