The study pinpoints an example of the origins and political function of historical identity. It is based on testimonies of Regensburg's urban history between 1600 and 1800. The argument structures and transmission patterns discernible in these hitherto unprinted urban chronicles makes it possible to distinguish images of history that are Protestant/national or Catholic/Bavarian. For both traditions the Middle Ages were the highpoint of the city's development, thus contradicting the popular belief that this period was 'discovered' by the 19th century.