Work

Curated Ruins and the Endurance of Conflict Heritage

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: Architectural ruins created by bombing, artillery, and fire are a common feature of post-conflict urban and extra-urban environments, serving as stark reminders of the material impact of warfare and violence. Over time most of these ruins are either restored, demolished, or reclaimed by nature. This paper examines another, more unusual category: sites that are carefully maintained in a freshly ruined state, suggesting that their destruction was more recent than it actually was. These sites — most often configured as memorials — raise interesting questions about memorialization, conflict heritage, authenticity, ethics, and whether or not there is a ‘natural’ lifespan or lifecycle for architectural ruins. To illustrate this argument I will draw on case studies of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany, and the ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane in France.

Source: Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites

DOI: 10.1179/1350503315z.00000000095

Author: Gabriel Moshenska

Institution: University College London

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Institute of Archaeology, University College London

OpenAlex ID: W1527645033

FWCI: 19.4

Cites: 37

Cited by: 44

Related to: 10