Insight into urban planning principles and timeless lessons! Most cities in Europe were founded between 1030 and 1350, so they are of medieval origin. In Germany alone, around 3000 cities were built during this period, but only a good 50 have been built since!

Our idea of the “European city” is therefore essentially medieval in character. In the seminar, we would like to look at the still visible urban structures and medieval elements of the city and ask ourselves what lessons we can learn from this long-gone era for the present day?

Although, or perhaps precisely because industrialization and urbanization since the 19th century have established urban models worldwide that are diametrically opposed to the medieval city, we would like to use selected literature, analyses and tours of the old town of Graz to work out principles of the medieval city that have potential for the future. Common clichés such as those of the “naturally grown”, extremely cramped and unhygienic cities of the Middle Ages will be critically questioned.

In a further step, we would like to reinterpret these principles, experiment with them and apply them to the present. A plot of land in Draisgasse south of Graz's old town is available to us as a testing ground for exploring the ideals and potentials of the medieval city and implementing them in contemporary practice.