Authenticity in conservation decision-making: the world heritage perspective

The article deals with the evolution of the use of authenticity as an important factor in assessing the suitability of nominations for inscription on the World Heritage List. The following issues are discussed: authenticity as a heritage value or a qualifier of values; authenticity linked exclusively to authenticity of the surviving material fabric or to other factors; relations with authenticity and integrity; authenticity as a universal concept or as related to context; practical uses of the concept in conservation decision-making. These questions are examined in detail in the context of the 1994 Nara meeting held in Japan, and of subsequent meetings held in the Czech Republic, the United States and Zimbabwe.