Evolution and trends of understanding of authenticity in heritage preservation

Abstract

The study reveals that the understanding of authenticity has varied during the evolution from the faith in authority towards the identification of facts. The development and carrying out of cultural heritage preservation in the 20th century made the concept of authenticity of great importance and raised the problem of its identification. The 20th century perception of authenticity is characterized by the change not only in time, but in space. The complexity of this phenomenon consists of the enlarged object of heritage preservation, its regional diversity and the demand to institute criteria for the heritage authenticity test. The attempt to set fixed and universal heritage authenticity criteria attributes or aspects failed. Most heritage documents and proposals of research state that in understanding authenticity, it is crucial to acknowledge the dynamic nature of cultural values, and that to gain such understanding, static and inflexible criteria must be avoided Lithuanian heritage preservation is characterized by the elementary heritage perception. The form aspect is dominant in the authenticity criteria, but this perception isn't all-encompassing. The stylistic architectural heritage is more important and defined as authentic in comparison to similar forms Greater respect it paid to lost forms, in comparison to those still existing. Such an understanding conditions the goal of reconstructing and rebuilding and considering these things authentic.