The main idea of the Venice Charter is that restoration ends where the hypothesis begins. The need for a clear separation of old and new was recognized, in particular in terms of style; at the time of the adoption of this document, modernism in one form or another seemed to be the only possible style of modern architecture, any imitation of past eras seemed to be a fake "antique". This is exactly what the representatives of UNESCO and IKOMOS (International Council for the Protection of Monuments and Historic Sites) opposed at the II International Congress of Architects and Technical Specialists in Historic Monuments in 1964 in Venice. In their opinion, when restoring and adding new buildings to a monument, it is necessary to draw a clear formal boundary between the authentic historical and modern parts, avoiding the creation of a “fake”.
INTBAU, sponsored by the Prince of Wales, is going to host the conference “Return to the Venice Charter: Modernism and Restoration in the Post-War World” on November 3 - 5, 2006 in Venice. The goal of the organizers of this event is to rehabilitate "traditional architecture" in the eyes of restorers. In their opinion, the decision of 1964 was caused by the political situation of the Cold War period: modernism was perceived as a symbol of freedom and democracy, and the appeal to traditional forms seemed to be characteristic of the countries of socialism.
Also, the Charter was influenced by the widespread after the Second World War notion of the "end of history" - the beginning of a completely new period in the development of mankind, in architecture, expressed in the domination of modernism. Therefore, any reference to the styles of the past was perceived, especially in the field of restoration and reconstruction, as an attempt to forge the original.
INTBAU is trying to draw attention to the current situation when traditional architecture is not encouraged by either art critics or the authorities who invite to renovate historical cities and monuments of world-famous modernists who do not pay special attention to the specifics of local culture. The goal of the organization is not to abolish the Venice Charter, but to supplement it with new chapters. As a result of the conference in November 2006, a new charter on the problems of traditional architecture and urban planning in the historical context (both in the situation of restoration of destroyed buildings and the construction of new ones in the existing architectural environment) should be adopted.
