Präambel zum ‘1st International Congress on Construction History’ in Madrid

This article announces the First International Congress on Construction History which was held in Madrid in 2003. It also describes the state of the history of construction at the time immediately prior to the congress, a state which is judged to be disastrous: it was non-existent despite significant changes in construction techniques and materials over the course of a century; it had no bibliography, database, or academic recognition.