‘To entirely recreate its authenticity’: the transition in Lithuanian urban conservation in the 1980s–1990s

Abstract This article examines urban conservation in Lithuania during the transformative 1980s and 1990s, a period characterised by significant socio-political changes preceding and following the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Initially regarded as a key achievement of Soviet-era heritage protection, the urban conservation system faced increasing criticism by the mid-1980s. It emerged because of ineffective implementation but was later attributed to inappropriate methodological principles, e.g., sanation, undermining the distinctiveness of historic urban areas. In 1987, the second Vilnius Old Town Regeneration Project was initiated, which coincided with Lithuania’s declaration of independence in 1990. This case study encompasses the interplay between Soviet-era heritage conservation approaches, emerging civic rights, limited regulation on newly re-established private property, and romantic reconstruction ideas. The oxymoron ‘recreation of authenticity’ captures the high symbolic meaning of cultural heritage as a symbol of national society, representing the period during which replicas were promoted as adhering to international heritage doctrines. Although centralised conservation practices collapsed following the state’s withdrawal of support, some principles, such as reconstruction, were redefined. A pivotal goal was the inscription of the Vilnius Historic Centre onto the World Heritage List, achieved on the second attempt in 1994. This event symbolised the international recognition of the value of the urban heritage of the Lithuanian capital, of the re-established independent state and, paradoxically for critics, of previous urban conservation practices. By exploring these links, this article contributes to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the role of heritage and conservation practices in the context of a post-Soviet landscape.