Lost between legislation and application: a critical reading of Czech post-war architectural conservation policies

Abstract

ABSTRACT Responding to the reality of post-war architecture in Prague, threatened by demolition and harmful reconstruction, this paper employs critical discourse analysis to examine heritage legislations and documented administrative procedures. The Czech context is a relevant case to the international discussion on heritage definition as an example of the establishment of a rigid authorised discourse that turns conservation processes incoherent and self-referential, especially when evaluating post-war architecture. To safeguard post-war heritage, local conservationists have sought legal protection granted by the Act on State Landmark Conservation upon monument designation. However, designation proposals are being halted and declined to inconsistent criteria and evaluation processes. In response, this paper aims to add to the understanding of the Act and its application by revisiting raised arguments on the designation of five cases and detecting patterns in tendencies and attitudes to estimate the impact of communicated values and influences on the process. The analysis confirms the reported issues of the Act and its application. It also highlights the ideological issues at play that have resulted in a prejudiced judgement towards post-war architecture. Recommendations provided are expected to assist conservationists to strategically structure future proposals being aware of these issues and ultimately contribute to post-war heritage conservation.