City walls Maastricht

Between past and modernity - The position of the photographer

In the 19th century the function of the city wall structures has become obsolete due to modernisation. Consequently, the city walls were demolished in a rather systematic way. During the demolishing process little consideration was given to the fact that these constructions provided the individual city with an identity of its own, made it into a closed unity with a particular skyline. The act of demolishing the walls triggered contradictory feelings of liberation and loss.