Using the slang of preservationists, this ironic expression indicates the approach applied in the past during restoration of walls in castles and ruins.
When the construction works in the Devín Castle started in the 80s of the 20th century, the goal was to distinguish the materials added in recent years from the materials laid down by the original constructors. The historical method of laying the stones was intentionally not adhered to. The simple way of restoring monuments was to acknowledge the original material and the new restoration of the 20th century.
Although this technique is not used anymore, the acknowledged additional modern construction works have been preserved in Devín. While restoring the masonry in 2022, only the extraction of cement binding and its replacement of lime mortar were resolved.
Return to the original method of laying the stones would mean dismounting a large part of the castle walls and constructing them once again. That would require significant amount of labour and funds.
Text author: Andrej Barát