‘The history of architectural history. The genesis and development of a scientific discipline between national perspectives and European models’. Report on the international Symposium of the Technische Universität Dresden at the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca in Rome, in cooperation with the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris Sciences & Lettres Univerity

Abstract

For the first time, the symposium on the History of Architectural History, organised by Henrik Karge (Dresden) and Sabine Frommel (Paris) at the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca in Rome, analysed architectural history as a European phenomenon. The participants – renowned experts from Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Hungary and Greece – described the genesis and development of the historiography of architecture within the panorama of historical sciences, especially in relation to the history of art. Of particular importance is the role that architectural history played in the constitution of national identities in the course of nation building, and thus also national conflicts, in 19th and 20th century Europe. In various contributions, the historians of architecture were examined: art historians, architectural theorists and practical architects have each developed specific perspectives. In this way, the special feature of the Roman school of architecture was elaborated, which consisted in keeping alive the awareness of historical models in the training of architects, even under the reign of 20th century modernism and postmodernism. Finally, current aspects of digital techniques and global aspects in the analysis and visualisation of architecture were also dealt with.