Croatia/ 4.2 Recent policy issues and debates  

4.2.9 Heritage issues and policies

The Law on the Preservation of Cultural Assets (1999) states that every monument must have an owner and that licences will be granted for restoration and conservation work. Application of this Law is continuously monitored and improved. However, it seems that in practice people still do not trust private owners and investment partnerships. The number of well-presented and well-managed archaeological sites is growing.

Special provisions in the Law are made with regard to immaterial cultural heritage. On the initiative and in agreement with the Croatian Commission for UNESCO in 2002, a special Committee for Immaterial Cultural Heritage was established. Croatia ratified the Convention for the Protection of Immaterial Cultural Heritage in 2007, and the Ministry was established as a central body for its enforcement. The aforementioned Committee was re-established by the Minister's decree in 2007, and now has 20 expert members. The list of protected immaterial cultural goods currently contains 77 units, seven of which are to be included in the UNESCO list of protected immaterial cultural goods by December 2009.

Although the Law on Archive Material and Archives (1997) has made it possible for units of local administration and self-government to found archives, and also provides for new independent private archives (founded by companies, universities, political parties, religious organisations, the media and so on), there has not been any marked interest in their establishment nor have conditions been created for founding public archives outside the existing state and private system. In the past four years, branches of state archives have been established in three cities, as well as a new archival institution - Memorial-Documentation Centre, about the Homeland war.

The network of public libraries is not evenly spread over the Croatian territory. Due to the different levels of information technology development and availability, different library systems are in use. The Ministry of Culture and local authorities are investing in the improvement of the library system. In the past four years, 33 cities have opened either new or newly restored libraries as joint investments between local authorities and the Ministry of Culture. The library information system in Zagreb has been fully centralised at the city level. A new University Library was opened in Split on 19th December 2008 to complement the network of national university libraries. The new library was also opened at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb on 11th March 2009.

The war in Croatia and the transition processes affected museums in many ways: physical damage, destruction and theft of museum property, decrease in the number of professional staff and a drastic fall in the number of museum visitors. In 1998, a uniform legal system was introduced, museums became independent (partner-museums), and definitions were given for institutions that could work as museums or care for the movable cultural heritage, for standards of computer networking, supervision over work and professional levels. Holdings were reviewed to establish the number and the condition of items in the museum collections. However, these changes led to many disputes among museum branches and institutions, and in some local units the very existence of museums or collections was jeopardised.

The Ministry of Culture has developed a network of 19 local conservation departments that are spread all over the country.

The government, together with local authorities, is investing in the construction and reconstruction of new museums and galleries (e.g., Museums of Contemporary Art Rijeka, Croatian History Museum in Zagreb). In the last few years a number of museums have been opened (e.g., Narona Museum Vid, Archaeological Museum in Osijek, Novigrad Lapidarium, Museum of Antique Glass in Zadar, etc.). The establishment of new museums (Homeland War Museum Zagreb, Museum of Sacral Art Split, Museum of Croatian Emigration Zagreb, Museum of the Vučedol Culture, etc.) is planned.

A special example in this context is the new Museum of Contemporary Art (http://www.msu.hr) which was officially opened on the 11th December. About 59 million EUR were invested by the city of Zagreb and the Croatian Ministry of Culture in its building which represents the largest cultural investment in the history of independent Croatia. The opening of the Museum as a focal point of contemporary art in Croatia proved to be a much needed cultural venue: in the first ten days of its opening over 70 000 people visited the museum.

While investment in cultural infrastructure is seen by many as very positive, there is also some criticism expressed by those who believe that there is no adequate investment in modernisation and strengthening of the capacities of existing museums.

One of the greatest weaknesses in the treatment of heritage in Croatia was the relative neglect of the traditional rural heritage. The interest in old traditions and public resources diminished, while the developmental investment has been concentrated in a limited number of areas thus marginalising others. In summer 2006, the Minister of Culture announced the introduction of special loans and support schemes for rural heritage. This will also be one of the priorities for the programming of EU pre-accession funds in Croatia.

A National Working Group (set up in 2005) presented the National Programme for Digitalisation of Cultural Heritage (including archives, libraries and museums) to the Minister of Culture, in September 2006. This programme aims at improving digitalisation of cultural heritage and includes educational and "operational" components. Special funds were earmarked for this programme in the 2007 and 2008 cultural budget. The main institutions for implementation of this Programme are the National and University Library and State Archives and two main portals where digitised heritage can be found are http://arhinet.arhiv.hr/ (Archive Information System) and http://www.kultura.hr (Croatian Cultural Heritage). 

For more information, see
European Heritage Network: Country profile Croatia