(Un)wanted heritage in the cityscape – arguments for destruction or reuse. The case of the city of Kaunas

Abstract

In recent years, changing the conception of heritage protection, i.e., from heritage itself to a focus on people and their relation to heritage, has led to social aspects dominating evaluations. Therefore, the categories of the values involved begin to interlace, their conception and their significance is expanding and the values are becoming more closely associated with the context, in which the heritage exists. “Some fraction of the material culture produced or inherited by society (artistic as well as utilitarian) becomes defined and recognised as heritage through designation. […] Simply labeling something as heritage is a value judgment that distinguishes that object or place from other objects and places for particular reasons, and as such, the labeling adds new meaning and value”.