The architectural contacts between the different countries around the Baltic sea were intensified at the turn of the century 1900. New stylistic ideals were propagated between the countries and the period presented a break with the eclectic style leading to a freer architecture using new materials, asymmetrical shapes and ornamnetal décor.

The terms Jugend/Art Nouveau and National Romanticism/Material Realism have been applied to this period. More than 150 drawings and 300 photos shows the development of Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and St. Petersburg during the period, based on the architecture and building activity of the time.