to restore
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to restore
To return something to its original, former, or good condition. This can refer to buildings, works of art, or health.
Das alte Schloss wurde aufwendig restauriert und in seinem alten Glanz wiederhergestellt.
The old castle was elaborately restored and returned to its former glory.
'Wiederherstellen' (to restore) is a separable verb. The prefix 'wieder-' comes at the end of a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive, the verb stays together.
Der Techniker stellt die Daten wieder her.
The technician restores the data.
The prefix 'wieder-' is stressed here: 'WIEDERherstellen'. The stress signals separability and the meaning 'back to an earlier state.' This helps distinguish it from inseparable verbs such as 'wiederholen' (to repeat, to do something again).
Die Stadt will die historische Altstadt wiederherstellen.
The city wants to restore the historic old town.
In this meaning, the verb is often used with concrete, physical objects. Typical objects are: 'ein Gebäude' (a building), 'ein Gemälde' (a painting), 'ein Möbelstück' (a piece of furniture), or 'den Originalzustand' (the original condition).
Die Experten haben das alte Wandgemälde sorgfältig wiederhergestellt.
The experts carefully restored the old wall painting.
When abstract states are involved, the objects are often intangible. Common combinations are: 'die Ordnung' (order), 'den Frieden' (peace), 'das Vertrauen' (trust), or 'die Gesundheit' (health) wiederherstellen (to restore).
Nach dem langen Stromausfall wurde die öffentliche Ordnung schnell wiederhergestellt.
After the long power outage, public order was quickly restored.
In the field of information technology, this verb is very common. You can restore 'Dateien' (files), 'Daten' (data), 'ein Passwort' (a password), or 'ein ganzes System' (an entire system), often 'aus einem Backup' (from a backup).
Keine Sorge, ich kann die gelöschte Datei wiederherstellen.
Don't worry, I can restore the deleted file.
to destroy
'zerstören' and 'wiederherstellen' are often opposites. 'zerstören' means that something is badly damaged or ruined. 'wiederherstellen' means bringing something back into a good or previous state after damage or a disruption. This can be a building, health, order, or even a relationship. So 'zerstören' describes the loss, while 'wiederherstellen' describes the repair or return to a better state.
Nach dem Streit versuchen beide, das Vertrauen wiederherzustellen.
After the argument, both of them try to restore trust.
Ein Feuer hat die alte Werkstatt in der Nacht zerstört.
A fire destroyed the old workshop during the night.