Our built environment is the product of several thousand years of cultural history; it cannot be understood without knowledge of its historical development or the thought models and fields of knowledge behind it. Every theoretical as well as planning-actual examination of existing buildings therefore requires a careful basic investigation, which should equally lead to a well-founded assessment of their substance, their essence and their (cultural as well as ideal) significance.

The Chair of Architectural History teaches the fundamentals of historical and methodological knowledge, which should enable prospective architects in particular to independently analyze and evaluate historical buildings and inventories. In addition to a two-semester overview of the major cycles of European architectural history at the beginning of the course, seminars are offered on in-depth content of building history, on the history of construction, on questions of monument preservation and building documentation, as well as on concrete strategies for dealing with existing buildings.