The lecture discusses two main topics. First the problem of how ideological messages are  encoded in a cityscape and how literature can articulate them. This will be shown through the example of two temples of ancient Athens and the literary and archeological witnesses that refused to see important objects on the Acropolis. Ideology is inscribed in the cityscape, but it also needs interpretation as some examples from the ancient Rome will suggest. After a short reference to the literary representations of cities and some literary genres that are said to be strongly connected with urban experience, the lecture turns to the second main topic, namely that of how literature may influence a cityscape. This will analyzed through the example of Budapest. Street names and public monuments frequently celebrate the memory of national literature (rarely world literature). The cityscape seems to be designed to celebrate national history, and first of all the success of the nation building project. This public and centrally suggested image seems to contradict the locals' ideas about themselves, which is rather highlighting issues of cool resistance. The reconstruction of Kossuth square in Budapest will be a main example for both.