Architectural reconstruction in heritage conservation: Divergences and similarities as illustrated by case studies of Canada and Poland

This thesis is an exploration of the multidimensional aspects of the architectural reconstruction process seen in a historical perspective. It relates architectural reconstructions to the propagation of nation-building ideas and beliefs in the context of Polish and Canadian societies. The inquiry establishes what is happening in the process of architectural reconstruction and how the product of this process fits into heritage formation and conservation. Three identified formative phases of the reconstruction project are explored: formation of ideological objectives of the reconstruction initiatives, identification and selection of the values perceived in a destroyed relic and transferred to a reconstruction, and completion of the reconstruction project from the perspective of conservation practice. The process of architectural reconstruction is demonstrated in the detailed analysis of the formulation of the reconstruction guidelines and the execution of the design. The thesis investigates the particular production process of two reconstructions, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland and the Louisbourg Fortress in Nova Scotia, Canada. Discussion of these two examples focuses on the formulation of the reconstruction guidelines and the execution of the design. There are several key areas of inquiry. Firstly, both reconstructions are linked through the discussion of their national significance and the role they have played as political and economic instruments in the policies of their proponents. Secondly, the preparation process including the negotiation that led to the formulation of the guidelines for the architects is discussed. Thirdly, a detailed account of the reconstruction process is presented. Of central importance is the selective character of the reconstruction process with respect to replication of the identified features. The last area of inquiry in the production phase describes construction of the interpretive themes. The thesis investigates the reconstruction process in relation to the values identified in the relics and their replicas. This is done by developing a model that traces analytical connections between these values. The model allows the user to determine a specific configuration of value relations as identified in heritage relics, and to examine how these values have been transferred into reconstruction. The model is tested in relation to the cases studied.