Plattegrond van Landau 1700 - 1735

This is an anonymous engraving showing the plan of Landau. The striking feature is the composition itself: the fortified city in the center, surrounded by a geometric configuration of walls and bastions, vividly rendered in a palette of greens, reds, and grays. This cartographic representation employs a bird's-eye view, flattening the urban space into an abstract design. The rigorous structure suggests more than mere geographical accuracy. The city plan functions as a symbol of power and control. The use of geometric forms, the careful arrangement of space, and the color-coding of urban elements all contribute to a system of signs. The artwork challenges us to question the relationship between representation and reality, knowledge and power. It reminds us that maps are not neutral reflections of the world but constructed images that reflect particular ideologies. This plan becomes an exercise in visual rhetoric.