Croatian Conservation Institute (hereinafter: Institute) was founded on 19 December 1996 by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Croatia (NN 2/97), merging two existing public institutions: Institute for Restoration of Works of Art (founded in 1948 at the then Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Art) and Conservation Institute of Croatia (founded in 1966). The decree established the Institute as the central public institution in the field of conservation and restoration in the Republic of Croatia which carries out activities to protect cultural goods without administrative competence.
Today, the Institute is the successor of several decades of institutionalized conservation and restoration, and it is one of the main bearers of contemporary heritage protection practices in the Republic of Croatia. Legacy is carefully kept in the form of a systematized and digitized database and conservation and restoration archives from 1948 to the present, including some documentation from 1916 belonging to Ferdo Goglia.
The main activities of the Institute include researching, documenting, valorising, interpreting, designing, planning as well as supervising and conducting work on the material structure by conserving and/or restoring archaeological, immovable and movable cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia. At the same time, the Institute also gives expert opinions, specialist counselling and expert analysis, and executes emergency interventions and organizes protection in emergency situations. In order to carry out practical training of the professional public, the Institute organizes professional training of conservators and conservator-restorers, carries out student internships, and fosters professional co-operation with related institutions in the country and abroad. The Institute systematically invests in promotional activities to make its conservation and restoration activities available to the general public.
The desired results of the Institute's strategic plan are based on the improvement of already existing high standards of professional activity, preservation of systems for the transfer of knowledge, experience, skills and competencies, preservation and development of databases, development of new methods and techniques, and strengthening professional and scientific activities in order to achieve a substantiated, pragmatic and consistent approach to the protection of cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia compatible with modern, positive European and world practices.
Mission
Croatian Conservation Institute is the central public institution whose main function is research, preservation and presentation of archaeological, immovable and movable cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia. It is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia to preserve existing and create new values for future generations.
The purpose of the Institute's activities within the protection and conservation of Croatian cultural heritage is to research, document, evaluate, interpret, plan, supervise and conduct direct work on its material structure through conservation and/or restoration.
Vision
The Institute's vision is to advance its main function towards a comprehensive approach to cultural goods with the aim of raising awareness of the values and importance of cultural heritage in the primary user. Pursuant to the acquired knowledge, experience and skills, as well as developed and diverse databases, the Institute aims to become one of the key players in the development and implementation of a national strategy for the protection and preservation of cultural goods.
Values
The basic value of the Institute is the high quality of the work it carries out thanks to different vocations and occupations of its employees, collected expert knowledge, experience and skills, databases of digital and physical data, and material resources. Additional values include continuous professional development, scientific interpretation of results, and systematic development of new methods and techniques applicable to the protection of cultural goods.