Belief in the authenticity of the original artifact has remained constant among preservationists, but the enormous destruction of World War II forced a rethinking of their practices in Germany and other European countries. So much had been lost so quickly; ruins were the spectacle of daily life, not the exceptional reminders of a distant past. Compromises with principle, backed up by overwhelming public sentiment, permitted the restoration or, in a few notable cases, the complete reconstruction of destroyed buildings.
