ARCH. ANDREA MADDALENA

AMERSFOORT – ONGOING RESEARCH

A city with a readable structure

For several years, an important part of my research has been devoted to the city of Amersfoort.

This city possesses an exceptional historical fabric in which medieval structure, religious history and urban development can still be clearly read. Elements such as the position of the Lieve Vrouwetoren, the historic gates, the water and the urban axes together form a spatial system that has shaped the identity of the city.

Research and personal connection

For more than twenty-five years I have lived in Amersfoort. This long relationship with the city allows me to experience it not only as a researcher but also as a resident. The combination of everyday experience and historical research forms an important foundation for my work.

My research on Amersfoort starts from the same question that has guided my work in other cities: how do history, space and symbolism express themselves in the structure of a city?

By studying the city in this way, monuments and places begin to reconnect with each other. The city no longer appears as a collection of isolated locations, but as a coherent historical organism.

A living urban experience

Historic cities such as Amersfoort show how the form of a city can influence the way people experience it. The relationship between squares, streets, water and monuments creates a spatial order that shapes the perception of the city.

In this sense Amersfoort is not only a subject of study, but also a living laboratory where history, space and human experience meet.

This research forms the basis for lectures, city tours and a book project currently in development.