Our ideas about the Middle Ages are often based on the form of the most famous landmarks of European cities, such as St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Notre-Dame in Paris, or the Votive Church in Vienna. But is this the "real Middle Ages"? This book shows that the authenticity of medieval buildings is often very complex: their appearance is more than anything else determined by the radical re-building of the 19th century. Thus, what is generally regarded as 'medieval' is in fact more a mirror of romantic idealisations, nationalist disputes, and economic interests of the 19th century.
