Heritage, Fascism, and the E42/EUR: Why So Many Fascist Monuments Are Still Standing in Italy 68 views

The 1942 Esposizione Universale di Roma (E42/EUR) was first initiated on the outskirts of Rome, Italy to host the 1942 Universal Exhibition, while simultaneously celebrating Italian contribution to civilization and twenty years of the Fascist Party controlling the state. The exhibition never occurred due to the onset of World War II. However, construction had already begun on many of the principal buildings that were meant to serve as the main museums and exhibition halls. These buildings would ultimately serve as iconic symbols of the new EUR neighborhood, recognizable for their monumental scale and Rationalist forms. Although most of the buildings which comprise the E42/EUR today were built after WWII, the site continues to be identified as a landmark of fascist architecture. This identification has made it the subject of criticism and debate about how to address built landscapes with ties to fascism. This thesis analyzes the history of ongoing debates concerning the legacy of fascist architecture using the E42/EUR as the primary case study. Localizing these debates and anchoring them in the history of the E42/EUR’s development provides new insights into their changing historical dynamics, while raising largely unexplored questions about the site’s distinctive historical development and urban scale.

MARH (Master of Architectural History)

Fascism; Architectural History; Esposizione Universale di Roma; Rome, Italy; EUR; Cultural Property

English

2026-05-05