from Goethe-Institut Newsletter -
The New Old Buildings: Remarks on the Reconstruction Debate
go to article

A unique page in the history of architecture must surely be that of a concerted exercise in the re-construction of historic buildings that were destroyed during the 2nd World War. Oddly, the debate of whether these architectural re-constructions could be considered as "authentic" is muted, as best - perhaps a tacit admission of complicity in war-time (wanton) destruction. Hence, it is refreshing to read a different take on these buildings - as evidence of a unique 20th-century sensibility, rather than as historic relics:

"The interpretive reconstruction of historical buildings will go down in the history of architecture as a stylistic feature of the late 20th century, practised against a backdrop of criticism of modernity and efforts to redefine regional identity and create cityscapes that would serve as commercial experience centres. In this context, the new old buildings are authentic through and through."