the.com/esplanade
the long flat promenade built so cannons could see you coming before you saw the sea
means A long, open, level stretch of ground for walking, typically along a waterfront or shore.
from From French esplanade, borrowed from Italian spianata, 'a level area,' from the verb spianare, 'to make level or flat' — itself from Latin explanare, 'to flatten out' (ex-, 'out,' + planus, 'flat'). The same planus gives us 'plain' and 'plane.' Fittingly, the word began as a military term for the cleared, flat ground around a fortress, leveled so defenders had an unobstructed line of sight, before it strolled off to mean a pleasant seaside walk.
- military roots
- Originally open ground clearing fire lines outside fortress walls
- word origin
- From Italian spianare, meaning to level or flatten
- singapore icon
- Theatre complex nicknamed the durian for its spiky shells
- defensive logic
- No cover meant attackers had nowhere to hide
- modern twist
- Now means waterfront walks instead of artillery sightlines
esplanade singapore — performing arts center in singapore opened in 2002, shaped like a durian
esplanade dublin — waterfront promenade along the liffey river in dublin, ireland
esplanade melbourne — historic tree-lined boulevard in melbourne, australia connecting the city to port phillip bay