Zabytkowe okna : metody badań i konserwacji

The acceleration of the rate of the damage of historical window woodwork and the exchange of old solutions for new ones (caused by the appearance of plastic windows) induced the author to analyse all methods which could prove useful in the analysis (research) and conservation of historical windows. The first part of the examination considers the window as part of an monument of architecture and its material structure. Subsequently, the author distinguishes and discusses undertakings used in research concerning historical windows: nondamaging research (an analysis of historical and iconographie sources) and damage-incurring research which encompasses an analysis of the material structure of a building. The next stage of reflections describes proper conservation inventory (the most suitable scale and course of measurement and photographic inventory as well as the manner of description). The author lists all the criteria which should form a basis for an analysis and assessment of windows (the window as an inseparable part of the architecture of buildings, the historical window associated with the elevation of the interior of a building, the uniqueness of the stylistic features of the window, the state of preservation, the possibilities of repair and adaptation to contemporary norms). Attention is also drawn to the problem occurring in highest standard historical monuments, namely, the reconstruction of the earlier form of windows in place of the removed original later solutions (nineteenth- and twentiethcentury) as well as the exchange of historical windows for plastic ones. The author analyses problems connected with the recreation of colour. A summary discusses the conservation of old windows, emphasising the need for their documentation and the necessity of current care and repair of damaged solutions. Only the latter can protect against damage and will assist the retention of the majority of historical windows.