How fire remade the European city, 1550-1850

This project will reveal the multiple ways in which fire shaped early modern European cities. Fire was not solely a destructive force, but a creative one, whose multiple uses and cultural meanings transformed urban life. Placing it at the heart of urban history enables us to understand almost every aspect of European cities differently. By constructing a fire history of a range of very different European cities from the mid 16th to the mid 19th century, this project will offer a new interpretation of European urban history.