Do you know that preservation and conservation of the architectural heritage, that is architectural monuments, consists in the activities which ensure their further survival and passing on to next generations as a whole without defects and substantial transformation?
Only in such condition monuments are elements of the cultural heritage, as carriers of a documentary value characteristic for a given historical period. Therefore they are documentaries of the epoch in which they were created – and as we are aware, a document has any value only when it is original – authentic and not transformed – meaning not forged.
RESTORATION
Restoration is a set of works aiming at restoring or increasing of artistic, historical values of a monument or giving it a functional value, by means of methods worked out on the basis of appropriate techniques.
During execution of these works, guidelines of the modern conservation theory are followed, and in particular the principle of maximal respect of the original matter and keeping the scope of undertaken activities to a necessary minimum. Restoration treatment of monuments is almost always combined with their conservation.
CONSERVATION
Conservation aims at healing, fixing and strengthening of the monumental matter and its structure by means of appropriate methods worked out on the basis of natural sciences. At the same time the form of a monument should remain intact.
Guidelines of the modern conservation theory can be actually reduced to the statement of Hippocrates, which is the primary principle in medical ethics:
primum non nocere, meaning first do not harm,
therefore do not damage monuments in this case.
According to Jan Tejchman
„Method of Preservation and Conservation of the Architectural Heritage”
