Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland
In Poland, most castles were destroyed as early as the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of numerous wars. In the following centuries, an unfavourable political situation or just economic considerations caused numerous demolitions. A significant number of castles disappeared, or functioned as ‘ro...
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Lublin University of Technology
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego |
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| Online Access: | https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/odk/article/view/7289 |
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| author | Lukasz Mikolaj Sadowski |
| author_facet | Lukasz Mikolaj Sadowski |
| author_sort | Lukasz Mikolaj Sadowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
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In Poland, most castles were destroyed as early as the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of numerous wars. In the following centuries, an unfavourable political situation or just economic considerations caused numerous demolitions. A significant number of castles disappeared, or functioned as ‘romantic ruins’. A few important castles were rebuilt in the 19th century, in the spirit of ‘historical revival’. In the 20th century, many of the most important buildings were rebuilt or even reconstructed from scratch. In most cases, the sites were rebuilt immediately after the end of the war, by people who knew the buildings from autopsy, before demolishion.
For many years, castle ruins functioned in the Polish landscape as ‘permanent ruins’. After the fall of communism, reconstruction of some castles began at the beginning of the 21st century. The most spectacular example may be the ‘reconstruction’ of the castle in Poznan - one of the most important cities in Poland. It was rebuilt on the basis of poor iconographic material – no older than from the 18th century. However, a large part of city dwellers suport the fact that the former capital of Greater Poland had ‘reclaimed’ its castle. Another ‘reconstruction’ of recent years is the Bobolice Castle, praised by numerous tourists and heavily criticised by art historians and conservators.
Contemporary castle reconstructions are becoming a worrying trend. It may, in future pose a serious threat to the authentic, substance of historical castle buildings.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-67c31b9f90424cb5b402a2bdbf0a66e4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2543-6422 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Lublin University of Technology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego |
| spelling | doaj-art-67c31b9f90424cb5b402a2bdbf0a66e42025-08-20T03:12:50ZengLublin University of TechnologyOchrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego2543-64222025-07-012310.35784/odk.7289Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary PolandLukasz Mikolaj Sadowski0a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:33:"Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Łodzi";} In Poland, most castles were destroyed as early as the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of numerous wars. In the following centuries, an unfavourable political situation or just economic considerations caused numerous demolitions. A significant number of castles disappeared, or functioned as ‘romantic ruins’. A few important castles were rebuilt in the 19th century, in the spirit of ‘historical revival’. In the 20th century, many of the most important buildings were rebuilt or even reconstructed from scratch. In most cases, the sites were rebuilt immediately after the end of the war, by people who knew the buildings from autopsy, before demolishion. For many years, castle ruins functioned in the Polish landscape as ‘permanent ruins’. After the fall of communism, reconstruction of some castles began at the beginning of the 21st century. The most spectacular example may be the ‘reconstruction’ of the castle in Poznan - one of the most important cities in Poland. It was rebuilt on the basis of poor iconographic material – no older than from the 18th century. However, a large part of city dwellers suport the fact that the former capital of Greater Poland had ‘reclaimed’ its castle. Another ‘reconstruction’ of recent years is the Bobolice Castle, praised by numerous tourists and heavily criticised by art historians and conservators. Contemporary castle reconstructions are becoming a worrying trend. It may, in future pose a serious threat to the authentic, substance of historical castle buildings. https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/odk/article/view/7289Reconstructions Castles Authenticity |
| spellingShingle | Lukasz Mikolaj Sadowski Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego Reconstructions Castles Authenticity |
| title | Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland |
| title_full | Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland |
| title_fullStr | Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland |
| title_short | Authentic or not? Art historian's reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary Poland |
| title_sort | authentic or not art historian s reflections on castle reconstructions in contemporary poland |
| topic | Reconstructions Castles Authenticity |
| url | https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/odk/article/view/7289 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lukaszmikolajsadowski authenticornotarthistoriansreflectionsoncastlereconstructionsincontemporarypoland |