Un confronto tra prassi e teoria nel restauro tra Italia e Germania. Dalla Carta di Atene alla Carta di Venezia

A number of lines of research were launched as part of the PhD in Architecture that analysed four post-war case studies selected from the reconstruction projects developed by the architect Josef Wie- demann in Munich. Among the possible lines of research, one of the most promising seems to be the study of the evolution of the cultural relationship that developed between Italy and Germany from the 1930s to the post-war period as regards the issue of monument restoration. The research carried out as part of the PhD showed that the architect Josef Wiedemann, one of the most prominent figures in Munich’s reconstruction programme, had a thorough understanding of Italian restoration discus- sions and improvements. In the method he gradually perfected whilst working on damaged monu- ments at first hand, his interest in the Italian debate is palpable. One example is the reconstruction of the Siegestor (Munich’s Victory Gate, 1956-1958) – undoubtedly one of the most important projects that contributed to the development of his method of reconstruction – which reveals the influence of what had been declared in the Charter of Athens (1931) and the Italian Charter (1932): from the ‘judicious’ use of modern techniques to the conservation of ruins and the recognisable nature of new repairs, all concepts that had been envisaged in the Charters. His later writings, produced when his professional approach was well established, confirm the careful attention he paid to the Italian de- bate. He refers to the Charter of Venice (1964) as a guideline that should be adopted when tackling monuments, particularly as regards the concept of authenticity. It is clear, therefore, that the cultural relationship between Italy and Germany began well before the appearance of the tragic landscape left behind by the Second World War. The way these two cultures studied each other is evident in their ar- chitectural works, literature and scientific publications. As this paper will show, all these aspects inspire us to ask: when did the cultural dialogue that animated these two countries fall apart? This paper acts as a premise for a more in-depth examination of the differences between current Italian and German results in the field of restoration – both theoretical and practica