Der Weg des Städtebauers Theodor Fischer von den Münchner Altstadt-Experimenten zur Kritik homogenisierender Altstadt-Produktion = Theodor Fischer’s Path as an Urban Planner from Old-Town Experiments in Munich to Criticism of the Trend Toward Increasingly Homogeneous Old Towns

With the success of Camillo Sitte’s book »City Planning According to Artistic Principles« (1889), enthusiasm for old-town centers and the desire to practise planning on the model of the old town grew among architects. Theodor Fischer (1862–1938) was one of those who embraced Sitte’s ideas and in the course of his career contributed decisively to establishing an awareness of the value of old towns in the planning culture of southern Germany. Already before the turn of the century he introduced innovative principles into the planning of Munich’s old town, and after 1900 he continued to promulgate these ideas as a university instructor and independent architect and planner. Fischer was a leading member of the Heimatschutz movement after 1902 but later criticized its aim of restoring or even remodeling old centres to reflect a romantic small-town ideal. This he countered with proposals for targeted interventions such as new streets or underground transport systems that would connect historic districts with current development.