The growth of nations, national ideologies and the accompanying quest for the ‘authentic’ among ‘the people’ has been a subject of enquiry for many disciplines. Building upon wide-ranging scholarship, this interdisciplinary study seeks to analyse the place of folklore in the long nineteenth century throughout Europe as an important symbol in the growth and development of nations and nationalism, and in particular to see how combining perspectives from History, Literary Studies, Music and Architecture can help provide enhanced and refreshing perspectives on the complex process of nation-building. With a range of detailed case studies drawing upon archival, literary, visual and musical sources as well as material culture, it raises questions about individual countries but also about links and similarities across Europe.