Zprávy památkové péče 2013, 73(1):36-41

National Heritage Institute, its mission and (as yet unused) expert potential

Zdeněk Novák

This year, the National Heritage Institute marks ten years of its existence. The article addresses the management of methodological approaches of state heritage care in the 20th century. It states that the decentralization of expert national heritage care that took place in the 1950's hindered the methodological management of practical approaches of individual conservationists to comparable cases of the renovation of cultural properties within the Czech Republic, destabilized them, and resulted in a weakening of the positions of these expert organizations. The formation of the National Heritage Institute on 1 January 2003 was motivated by the aim to create a consistent infrastructure which would ensure unified record-keeping and documentation of the Czech Republic's heritage fund, coordinate its research (including the research of the heritage fund's potential), and which would apply the results of this knowledge using methodological outputs designed for both the methodological management of practical approaches of individual conservationists as well as for the development of the knowledge of the interested public.
This objective was gradually implemented through conceptual documents of the Czech government, the amendment of legislation, and finally by decision of the Ministry of Culture under Minister Pavel Dostál. After 10 years of varying organizational changes, this institution may fully devote itself to the activities in which it is irreplaceable, i.e. record-keeping and documentation of the heritage fund and production, and especially the application of methodological materials.

Keywords: National Heritage Institute; conception; vision; method; Zdeněk Wirth

Published: March 1, 2013  Show citation