Plattegrond van Lille 1581

This undated, anonymous map of Lille is teeming with cultural memory. Look at the city's layout; notice how strategic placement of key structures echoes the Roman concept of "castrum," a military camp. The city walls, with their gates and towers, are powerful symbols. Historically, walls represent security and civic pride, but they also evoke ideas of exclusion. Consider the walls of Troy or Jerusalem—fortifications against the unknown and the other. The act of mapping itself—of imposing a grid upon a landscape—reappears in various forms throughout history, from Roman land surveys to modern urban planning. Each line and angle reflects a desire to control and understand the world. This is a symbolic attempt to order reality and reflect our psychological need for structure and legibility. This seemingly straightforward city plan serves as a reminder that even the most pragmatic creations are embedded with layers of cultural and emotional significance. The symbols it contains are constantly evolving and will resurface with new meanings in times to come.