Reconstruction of Historic Monuments—A Dual Approach

Abstract

The proper maintenance of historical monuments and their use is one of the pillars of sustainable development. Over the years, historic architectural buildings have undergone numerous changes resulting from reconstruction, expansion, or damage caused both by natural and other disasters. Therefore, their contemporary appearance is the result of these changes. Thanks to the documentation of their transformations, one has the opportunity to get to know their history. Currently, thanks to advanced technology, it is becoming easier and easier to document various historical monuments. However, the method of their documentation, especially the possibility of their reconstruction and the creation of 3D models depends mostly on the data resources at one’s disposal. This article compares two extreme methods of recreating an architectural object that has undergone some changes throughout history. One of the methods is to reconstruct the object on the basis of a photograph using geometrical rules and computer aid, while the other is based on laser scanning. Due to the fact that the same object is being reconstructed by means of both methods, it is possible to evaluate and compare the applied methods and estimate their accuracy, as well as to draw conclusions about the transformations of the reconstructed object over the years.