Zprávy památkové péče 2013, 73(1):53-59

National Heritage Institute - 10 years. Time for a summarization of the expert methodological outputs of SÚPPOP Prague from 1958-1990

Milan Jančo

The State Institution for Monument Care and Environmental Protection was founded in Prague in 1958 and was an expert institution as the predecessor of the National Heritage Institute of the Directorate General. It was responsible for methodological, advisory, and scientific research functions, and as such it began publishing methodologies and other methodological materials and methodological proceedings shortly after its founding. The aim of this article is to summarize the present state of knowledge of the production of methodologies of SÚPPOP Prague from 1958 to 1990, specifically a group of methodologies dealing with issues resulting from the activities of national heritage care in the rescue, protection, and presentation of historically protected areas and buildings.
The author has divided the production of SÚPPOP Prague methodologies into three interconnected time periods, respectively 1958/59 to 1971/72, secondly 1971/72 to 1980/81, and thirdly 1980/81 to 1990. This division reflects the historic evolution of the Czech Republic, particularly the period of normalization following Prague Spring in 1968 (second period), which brought a significant attenuation of production of the methodologies of SÚPPOP Prague. It was the beginning of the 1980's that brought a renewal of methodology publications due to the increased quality of possibilities of reproduction at a substantially larger amount and higher expenditure in comparison to the 1960's.
The state of knowledge of methodologies of SÚPPOP Prague strongly influenced the events following November 1989. The euphoria surrounding the new freedom meant an all-too-quick eradication of what the period prior to 1989 had created. One example is the fact that the authors of methodologies shredded after 1989 without a second thought had generally been the most important conservationists working in SÚPPOP Prague in the Regional Centres of national monument care and environmental protection. Due to this particular shredding process, it is not certain whether all methodologies that SÚPPOP Prague published from 1958 to 1990 have been found or are known about. Even though one part of the documented methodologies are indeed a product of the era of their formation, and another part are no longer valid due to the development of national heritage care theory and practice, the methodologies of SÚPPOP Prague from 1958 to 1990 are still a part of the memory of heritage care. It is for this reason that they should be preserved as a part of the history of the National Heritage Institute.

Keywords: National heritage care, State Institute for Monument Care and Environmental Protection (SÚPPOP), methodology, methodological materials, memory of heritage care

Published: March 1, 2013  Show citation