INTERPRETATION, HYPOTHESIS AND ETHICS IN GRAPHICRESTORATION: A HERMENEUTIC AND FALSIFICATION APPROACH TO THE RECONSTRUCTION OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
Études balkaniques (Sofia) 2026, N 2, pp. 315-342
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62761/645.EB.LXII2.03
Miglena RAYKOVSKA 
Institute of Information and Communication Technologies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences / Centre of Excellence in Informatics and Information and Communication Technologies, Bulgaria
E-mail: miglena.raykovska@gmail.com
Abstract: The graphic restoration of immovable architectural heritage often lies at the intersection of scientific analysis and visual speculation. This article proposes a structured methodological and ethical framework for graphic restoration, based on hermeneutic philosophy and the principle of falsifiability formulated by Karl Popper. Through an interpretive prism, the restoration process is rethought not as imitation, but as a discursive tool that synthesizes historical, architectural and empirical data. The study emphasizes the need for transparent management of hypotheses, avoidance of unintended interpretations and application of ethical principles that clearly distinguish factually based reconstructions from speculative additions. The proposed framework allows for interactivity, verifiability and an interdisciplinary approach, responding to the contemporary needs of digital architectural heritage research, where visualizations must serve both science and society.
Keywords: graphic restoration; architectural reconstruction; falsification methodology; evidence qualification; digital heritage ethics