<\/p>\n
CNN writes:<\/p>\n
An entirely new, rational way to design fortified settlements, the \u2018star cities\u2019 of the 16th and 17th centuries were a jewel of the early modern era and engineered by some of the most brilliant minds of their time.<\/p>\n
The science of building star-shaped bastion forts came into being in Italy during the Renaissance, when gunpowder and cannon rendered old medieval walls obsolete.<\/p>\n
High, vertical walls gave way to low-lying ramparts, which offered less of a target, while wide moats, sloping earthworks and complex networks of protruding bastions would eliminate any blind spots and prevent besieging armies from coming anywhere near the ramparts\u2026.<\/p>\n
This style of military architecture would have its golden era during the 1500s and particularly the 1600s, a period in which many parts of Europe saw almost uninterrupted warfare\u2026.<\/p>\n
What follows is a selection of some of Europe’s most beautiful star cities\u2026<\/p>\n