The Piazza San Pietro, the Place Royale, Covent Garden - these places mirror the history, culture, and social experience of their respective societies. They tell stories of power and dominion in their time. The contributions to this volume show: Spaces are like texts, they are systems of signs. Their decoding reveals messages set in stone that turn places into stages through their symbolic effects and atmospheric qualities: spaces of amazement and fascination. This results in a new view of well-known places - particular aspects and buildings connect to a spatial and symbolic ensemble, to stages of power.