Full-text resources of CEJSH and other databases are now available in the new Library of Science.
Visit https://bibliotekanauki.pl

Refine search results

Results found: 2

first rewind previous Page / 1 next fast forward last

Search results

help Sort By:

help Limit search:
first rewind previous Page / 1 next fast forward last
EN
The article analyses the conservation and restoration conducted from the third quarter of the nineteenth century on Wawel Hill, both within the royal residence complex and the cathedral, from the viewpoint of the then prevailing and present-day conservation doctrines. The first pioneering study of the restoration of the royal castle, prepared by Tomasz Pryliński in 1881-1882, must be highly assessed also as regards the current conservation method. On the other hand, the project of the restoration of the cathedral proposed by Sławomir Odrzywolski in 1886 still contained numerous elements of stylistic purism. In the course of its realisation it was considerably modified by a limitation of the re-Gothicisation, a preservation of the majority of the historical strata and an introduction of modern elements (Art Nouveau). The project of the restoration of the castle presented by Zygmunt Hendel in 1908 became the topic of a discussion in which diverse stands were represented by Max Dvořak, the chief conservator of historical monuments in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and Professor Stanislaw Tomkowicz, chairman of the Castle Restoration Committee. Continuing the ideas launched by Alois Riegel, Dvořak was in favour of strictly comprehended conservation, while Tomkowicz defended the idea of scientific restoration. The outcome of the discussion was a compromise favourable for Wawel Hill, entailing a resignation from controversial reconstruction proposals but not from the actual restoration of the royal residence. In 1916-1939 the restoration of the castle was continued by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, whose specific approach was based more on artistic creation. Today, his realisations already possess a certain historical value and deserve to be subjected to conservation protection on their own merit. Their essential novelty consisted of arranging two archaeological- -architectural reservations. Out of for four conceptions pertaining to the whole Hill (1917, 1919, 1939, 1946) Szyszko-Bohusz or his successors implemented the best elements. Fortunately for Wawel Hill, they did not realise plans for a Pantheon and an amphitheatre, which cannot be favourably judged from the viewpoint of conservation doctrine. After the Second World War conservators resigned from these plans and under the supervision of Witold Minkiewicz and Alfred Majewski initiated, i.a. work on mediaeval walls in the western and southern part of Wawel Hill. The range of the reconstruction was distinctly limited in comparison with the conceptions expounded by Szyszko-Bohusz, thus expressing the transformations of the conservation doctrine of the period. In 2008 a positive opinion about those realisations was reflected in its entry into a register of historical monuments as a “conservation document”. Modern elements of exposition arrangements introduced into the Treasury, the Armoury and the exhibition “The lost Wawel” are distinct from the authentic substance, a solution that reflects a clear-cut impact of the doctrine recorded in the Charter of Venice. Complex conservation, comprising the next stage of work conducted on Wawel Hill, had been initiated in 1990 by the present-day Director of the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill and Conservator of Historical Monuments on Wawel Hill – Professor Jan Ostrowski. The basic premises of these undertakings are contained in the Statute of the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill, which defines both the function of the Castle complex as a museum- -historical residence and the trend of conservation: “the preservation of the historical substance of monuments belonging to the Castle”. “Conservation” should, however, be comprehended as “conservation- -restoration”, since present-day activities should supplement those of the predecessors and not negate them. Such a continuation of earlier initiatives included the recreation of the surface of the arcade courtyard, the recreation of the historical crowing of Lubranka, the completion of the conservation- -restoration of the Sandomierz bastion, the architectural correction of the elevation of the Royal Kitchens (no. 5), the recreation of the royal gardens and the revalorisation of the complex of Gothic houses, i.e. building no. 7. An essential element in embarking upon conservation decisions is a valorisation of the historical strata, which includes also the results of earlier conservation. The negative opinion about the nineteenth- century introduction of barracks in the royal palace complex is maintained, but Austrian fortifications extant up to this day have been recognised as an element subjected to protection. Redesigning introduced during the Nazi occupation, fortunately not extensive, has also been negatively assessed. The principles applied in reference to the outcome of previous conservation assumed their preservation as historical values unless they collide with the fundamental purpose of the presentation of a historical royal residence, i.e. falsify its image or damage its historical substance. In such cases, corrections are advised, as exemplified by the exit from the castle to the royal gardens and a new arrangement of the reservation in the west wing of the castle.
first rewind previous Page / 1 next fast forward last
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.