The richly illustrated book takes you through 2,600 years of architectural history. From antiquity to the beginning of the 20th century, architectural forms have constantly evolved. However, breaks with what came before have only occurred on the surface. The altered external forms still rely on classical criteria. It is only with modernity in the 20th century that there is a conscious break with ancient concepts for the first time. Yet even modernity still exhibits classical traits. To highlight the continuity of this architectural historical development, the author emphasizes not the differences among various architectural styles, but rather explains the common denominator that continues to frame classical architecture to this day. Baldur Köster thus achieves a convincing analysis of classical architecture from ancient Greece to the present.