Albrecht Dürer and the ideal city

Nuremberg artist Albrecht Dürer was a polymath of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. He is generally known as a painter, engraver, printmaker, mathematician and art theorist. However, architect, social reformer and utopian writer are not in the normal list of his achievements. In 1527 Dürer published Etliche Unterricht, zur Befestigung der Städte, Schlösser und Flecken (Instruction on the Fortification of Cities, Castles and Towns). The book goes beyond being an instruction manual on the design of a fortified city. His plan was functional, pragmatic, socially responsible and the purpose of its design was to improve the status and lifestyle of German artisans. Dürer¿s ideal city was not an isolated work it was compatible with his other writings which were to improve the artisans skills and conditions.