A short genealogy of authenticity. Tracing concepts of the real in the preservation discourse from the 19th century to today

The essay describes a discourse analysis of the concept of authenticity on the basis of influential theories within the field of monument preservation. The phenomenon of reconstruction or the concrete treatment of (ruinous) historical buildings serves as an example for the concrete application of these theories in architectural practice. From a historical perspective, specific understandings of authenticity in Viollet-le- Duc, John Ruskin, Alois Riegl, Walter Benjamin or the Venice Charter are analysed, and it is shown how they lead to different concepts of architectural reconstruction.