Cultural Heritage Conservation

Until the end of the 20th century, the terms ‘protection of cultural heritage’ and ‘restoration’ were used for all work relating to cultural heritage. With the official translation of European and other regulations relating to heritage, recent years have seen the arrival of more precise definitions of specific terms in relation to the scope and content of tasks.

Ohranjanje (‘conservation’) is the widest term. It brings together all types of policy, strategy, and legal, administrative and technical measure, as well as other activities related to cultural heritage.

Varstvo (‘protection’) is a subordinate term and mainly covers legal, administrative and professional activities.

Zaščita (‘preservation’) means specific measures and operations whose purpose is to prevent undesired changes and the worsening of the state of heritage.

Heritage conservation in the widest sense means those measures and acts that lead to the securing, conservation and general enjoyment of heritage. The state and municipalities provide legal protection, enable the implementation of individual parts of protection activities (such as the allocation of budget funds and the appropriate inclusion of protection in developmental, spatial, planning and implementation plans), and promote access to heritage. In terms of content, conservation is divided into:

• the development of protection policies and strategies
• the provision of high-quality protection and supervision of quality
• analyses of the effects of protection and the formulation of protection standards
• the determination of protection requirements
• the preparation and management of implementation projects
• the implementation of heritage work
• the permanent management of heritage units.

Integrated heritage conservation is the logically determined division of heritage conservation tasks between different national authorities and local communities, and cooperation between them. Owners of heritage and other interested parties (societies, associations, non-governmental organisations) are important and equal participants at all levels of decision-making.

Heritage protection in the narrow sense is the activity of immovable and movable heritage protection services performed by institutes founded by municipalities or the state. Individuals and organisations that have been granted a permit or concession to perform protection tasks, as well as non-governmental organisations and societies that work in the area, are constituent components of heritage protection.

The tasks of heritage protection as performed by professional services include the following in particular:

• the management of conservation projects
• the ensuring of high-quality conservation activities, and supervision of this quality
• the analysis of results and the formulation of standards
• the permanent management of monument buildings and areas.

Two further key tasks are:

• the development of protection policies and strategies
• the determination of protection requirements (primarily in administrative procedures).

Conservators that work in the Institute’s regional offices work hard to develop awareness of heritage, its importance and the protection tasks involved among owners and the general public. By working openly, presenting their activities and successes, they strive to include heritage in everyday life and thereby also ensure that its profile remains high.