Mittelalter als Entwurf

In the 19th century, artistic engagement with medieval architecture was closely connected to its academic study. Alongside art historians, architects and painters also played a key role in collecting, organizing, and communicating knowledge about architectural history. This publication shows that not only objective documentation, but above all the creative transformation of historical buildings was a particular strength of research in architectural history. Starting from a transnational comparison of architectural paintings, museum installations, garden spaces, and projects for the preservation of monuments, cross-genre strategies for dealing with historical designs are analyzed and re-evaluated as creative contributions to the emerging discipline of architectural history.

• Transnational perspective on European images of the Middle Ages during the 19th century
• Design-based research practice in the 19th century: Part of the current debate on research by design
• Artistic design presented as an instrument for developing and communicating knowledge