The architecture of the interwar period is still often described solely with terms such as classical modernism, Neues Bauen, or the International Style. But, for some time, there have also been calls to expand the perspective and to consider modernism in a more differentiated way. The 100-year anniversary of the Bauhaus provides an occasion to take a critical look at the architecture of modernism and to discuss the concept of multiple modernisms. The texts describe the Bauhaus between self-presentation and perception from an external perspective, the conflicts between the representatives of radical and moderate modernism, the writing of the history of architecture in the twentieth century, and the role of national and regional modernism in the development of national identities after the First World War.

The architecture of post-war Modernism poses particular challenges for building research and heritage preservation. Should its methods be adapted to the often prefabricated nature of the buildings? How should we rate these buildings, of which there are still a great many in existence, in terms of monument preservation? What challenges does modernizing them pose? Can individual components be replaced with mass-produced items without this detracting from the building's heritage-listed status? What are the risks in relation to certain materials that have since come to be classified as toxic? What strategies of knowledge distribution should be applied for buildings of post-war Modernism? At the MONUMENTO in Salzburg in 2018 and 2020, seasoned experts addressed these fundamental issues of preserving listed buildings with reference to selected projects.