Altaplana, world of Francois Schuiten and Benoit Peeters

the impossible & infinite encyclopedia of the world created by Schuiten & Peeters

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Urbicande

Urbicande is one of the most famous cities in the Obscure Continent. The inhabitants of The Tower may have possibly known a town of that name around AT 1), but the “City of Cities” was officially created only in 673 AT, when the towns of Bartoline and Urania joined together 2). Built on opposite shores of the Drouma river, the two parts remained very much separated culturally and economically.

The currency did not include banknote, but only square coins and, for a while, imposed fines to people who made modifications to their apartment without Robick's approval.3).

Only the South Shore was reconstructed according to the plans of Eugen Robick, traffic across the Drouma river being severely restricted. Strangely, it was the South Shore that got the most sun, while it should have be the reverse; since the city was built at the bottom of a ravine located north of the Equator. This phenomena may have been a side-effect of the presence of the Cube which, in 735 AT, grew into a Network that covered the city, then the whole Continent; throwing the societies of the Continent in complete disarray. 4).

Urbicande was a town built to be impressive but it did not age gracefully. It was shaken flat by an earthquake in 738 AT 5), but it was rebuilt from scratch on a distant island of the Neptunic Ocean (see: New Urbicande)

See also