The memory of historical German cities

The memory of the European city, as a phenomenon built over time, is a heritage that is preserved in the layout of its traces, spaces and natural elements, in monuments and historical artifacts, but also in the small structure of lots and parcels that make up historical blocks. The rediscovery of the architecture of the city has understood the urban structure as a complex phenomenon, built on different levels and temporal stratigraphies, which remain until today, sometimes in a fragmentary way, and which can be reconstructed in various ways, also with the help of iconological and historical documents. Through analytical tools of overlapping and comparison of different historical thresholds, it is possible to compare the different ideas of the city, to understand not only the extent of the lost heritage, but also to develop interventions for its current restitution. The rebirth of German historical centres shows how the city is today observed through this iconological perspective, with the intention of regaining its lost historicity. Where the credibility of this regained historicity always depends on the quality of the individual project, on the appropriateness of the architectural and technical solutions adopted, such as to put into practice, and not only on stage, its construction over time.