The development of the theory of architectural heritage conservation

The historical development of architectural heritage preservation dates back to the 18th-19th centuries, when the ideas of romanticism permeated all the cultural areas. The formation of national identity and interest in romanticizing history caused people to contemplate over their past. The new attitude led to undertaking a series of tasks to ensure the preservation of the most significant architectural monuments. For example, the first works of anastylosis and reconstruction were carried out as well as the theory of analyzing the issues of how to preserve the cultural heritage was given a start. The first stage of development extending from the 19th to the mid-20th century, could be called the early period during which two different trends of heritage preservation emerged. Prevailing in a larger part of Europe, the early restoration theory and practice were orientated towards the romanticized restoring of architectural heritage objects. The most famous representative of this trend was a French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc who brought evidence to building the concept of stylistic restoration by asserting that the genuine primary state of an object is not the one that is seen in practice but the one which was conceived for building. However, this approach to the architectural heritage was not only widely welcome but was also criticized. The movement against stylistic restoration emerged in England. It rested on an understanding that each object belongs to its specific historical and cultural context; therefore, it is impossible to recreate the signs of the past. The most famous theoretician of this movement was John Ruskin in whose opinion the only solution capable of preserving heritage was conservation. In the first part of the 20th century, when the idea of creative interpretation was rejected, it became possible to join the contrasting principles of restoration and conservation theories.[...]Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta