Heimatstil (Homeland Style) emerged in late 19th-century Germany as a regionalist reaction against industrial standardisation and urban Historicism. The movement advocated for buildings rooted in local materials, vernacular forms, and regional craft traditions — steep roofs, exposed timber framing, natural stone, and handmade details that expressed attachment to place.
Heimatstil anticipated later debates about Critical Regionalism by insisting that architecture should emerge from its geography and culture rather than from universal principles. However, its association with nationalist ideology — particularly its appropriation by the Nazi regime as an expression of "blood and soil" — complicates its legacy.
