You are looking in vain for names of international stars of architecture. Neither projects by Norman Foster or Richard Rogers, nor by Frank O Gehry or Daniel Liebeskind may be admired here. Nevertheless, the "Rebirth of the City - Urban Renaissance" which tonight opens in the now again accessible, restored Bärensaal in the City Hall, counts among the most interesting architecture exhibitions of recent years.

It is dedicated to a building philosophy hardly known in Germany, a philosophy which has been the object of ridicule and silence, and which can best be summarized under the concept of "traditional architecture". It brings together 150 projects by European and American architects who have turned their back on modern building style, drawing upon the classical architectural vocabulary and local building traditions in their proposals. Among the strong points of the exhibition, is the fact that it presents the variety of present day building tasks, thereby demonstrating how the same architectural philosophy leads to quite different results in various countries and regions.

The reconstruction of the Brussels city center devastated by the hasty urban development after the War, is prominently placed. Under Charles Piqué, Minister of Construction, more than 90 traditional building projects were realized: from the show-case project of classic town houses in the Rue de Laeken, built on the site of a demolished high-rise building from the 1960s, to the construction of brickwork gable houses on an empty site in the vicinity of the "Grande Place". The number of inhabitants in the center of Brussels has now been growing again for a number of years - and as a consequence also tax revenues.

In Oslo, a contest for a new art museum on a historic site was decided upon in 1996. Strong popular sentiment against the winning modern design led to a counter project presented by architects Olsen and Choynowski: a dome crowned Pantheon with a portico including Ionic columns and with lateral wings. A patron declared his willingness to finance building this museum. A final conclusion has not yet been reached, but the original project has been eliminated. The imposing model of the arts hall true to tradition is on display in the exhibition.

Several examples from the construction of social dwellings support the assertion that traditional architecture does not need to be expensive. In the small Basque Country we quickly find several excellent ensembles, where the architects - mostly young - are reverting to using local materials and building designs. In Gassin above St. Tropez the French old master François Spoerry built an urban extension with social housing, from the outside hardly to be distinguished from holiday projects for affluent vacationers.

In addition to the architects Patzschke, Klotz & Partner who built the new Hotel Adlon in Berlin, Germany is represented by the young München architect, Helmut Rudolf Peuker, with his impressive design of a traditional brick basilica. But German examples are rare. Even Berlin is lagging behind other large cities in Europe, both with regard to traditional architecture and starting a general debate on the subject.

Urged by the Berlin architect Rüdiger Patzschke, the senator of construction, Jürgen Klemann (CDU) with the support of the "Gesellschaft Historisches Berlin" (Historic Berlin Society) has brought this exhibition to Berlin. First on display in Bologna and later shown in a number of European capitals, it reaches Berlin at a time when a debate on an architecture more oriented towards tradition, has just begun. This exhibition will make a major contribution to this debate.

Traditional architecture  on Internet:  http://www.avoe.org