Azione e inazione nella conservazione delle rovine postbelliche: autenticità (e distruzione) come opportunità di riflessione sul ruolo epistemologico del restauro

This essay delves into the contemporary perspective on authenticity, providing an interpretation of the concept to actively contribute to the discipline of restoration for quality design. While authenticity was a focal point of heated debate in the 1990s, subsequent decades witnessed a shift in focus towards alternative interpretations of conservation and restoration. The paper explores the significance of these concepts from a global viewpoint, utilising case studies from the postwar reconstruction era in the former Yugoslavia. These studies, set against the backdrop of a complex interpretive conflict threatening the preservation of cultural assets, shed light on the reinterpretation of well-known examples. Notably, in the Balkan region, some buildings, though materially authentic, paradoxically owe their preservation to their status as postwar ruins, serving as potent reminders of war conflict. The essay also examines the recent vandalism of monumental buildings in the Balkans, providing additional insight into the intricate interplay between authenticity, integrity, and destruction. Building on these considerations, the article contemplates the restoration discipline’s role in navigating the nuanced relationship between authenticity and integrity in the Balkan context.