Your European tour may have been put on hold, but what if you could experience some of that same history by studying architectural structures in your own backyard? Because architecture is often imitative, structures inspired by Europe—from the Renaissance to the present day—are present in our fair cities. Local homes modeled on the timber-and-thatch cottages of the English Renaissance or neo-feudal castles from the Victorian period, and residences that have taken their architectural cues from Spain and the Mediterranean, are just a few of the examples of structures that reflect periods and events of European history. When instructor Rick Menzel, first arrived in the Twin Cities, he was “astounded to find physical examples of the history I was teaching all around me.” Join him to explore European history through the lens of these local wonders and their inspirational counterparts.