Thematic session of the Education, Science and Culture Committee on cultural heritage in the context of European cultural heritage
A thematic session of the Education, Science and Culture Committee on the topic of “Croatian cultural heritage in the context of European cultural heritage” has been held in the Croatian Parliament.
The session was held in the framework of marking the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, during which the entire European Union has put cultural heritage in the focus of interest, and also on the day of the 70th anniversary of the Croatian Conservation Institute.
President of the Education, Science and Culture Committee Vesna Bedeković presented the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, saying that over seventy cultural events were held in Croatia during the year. She emphasized the need for preservation, promotion and good governance of cultural goods, as well as the importance of culture, heritage and identity in the education system. Minister of Culture Obuljen Koržinek reminded of the value of cultural heritage for society, but also of its important role as driver of development and important component in building national identity. Saying that the goal of the European Year of Cultural Heritage was to encourage more people to explore heritage and strengthen the sense of belonging to a common European family, the minister stressed the importance of its protection for future generations. Describing the most important initiatives and projects implemented in Croatia during the European Year of Cultural Heritage as well as the events at national and local level, the Minister highlighted the most important achievements of many heritage institutions as well as key reform efforts of the Government aimed at creating a more stimulating institutional framework for the preservation and protection of cultural heritage.
The Ministry of Culture coordinated events at national level, while smaller scale activities were included in the European Heritage Days programme, marked continually in Croatia since 1995 every year in September and October. The inauguration of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 in Croatia was marked by the opening of the exhibition "Vlaho Bukovac 1/3 - Paris Period 1877 - 1893" in the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, and the Minister also highlighted two major international conferences; Best in Heritage in Dubrovnik and Underwater Cultural Heritage in Europe held at the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar.
Director of the Croatian Conservation Institute Sc. D. Tajana Pleše presented the work of her institution, which this year celebrates its 70th anniversary and talked about the exhibition The Secret Life of Heritage, held in the Museum of Arts and Crafts showing the most significant achievements of the Croatian Conservation Institute. Director Pleše particularly highlighted numerous international awards and acknowledgments for successful complex conservation and restoration projects that the Institute successfully implemented with a special emphasis on the restoration of cultural heritage damaged in the Homeland War.
Sc.D. Tvrtko Zebec of the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore presented the importance and significance of the Croatian intangible cultural heritage in the context of European heritage, with two phenomena - the Međimurska popevka, traditional tune of Međimurje and the Art of drywall construction – that have been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative list of the intangible heritage of humanity. By the end of 2018 over 160 intangible cultural goods have been inscribed in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia, and with these last two elements, a total of 17 on the UNESCO lists.
Director of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, Darko Komšo, presented the project of managing the cultural heritage of Pula, which has been under the Archaeological Museum of Istria for over thirty years. The Museum continually increases revenues with a huge increase in the number of visitors not only in the Arena but also in all other localities it manages and renovates with its own resources, other public funds and more and more successful EU project realization. The reconstruction of the museum building and small Roman theatre is the biggest investment in the reconstruction of an individual monument of culture at this time in the Republic of Croatia.
Members of the Committee for Education, Science and Culture Sanja Putica, Sunčana Glavak, Sc.D. Tomislav Sokol, Sc.D. Željko Jovanović, Sc.D. Neven Budak, SC.D. Valter Boljunčić and M. Sc. Zvonimir Peranić took part in the discussion.
Along with the Minister of Culture and the members of the Education, Science and Culture Committee, the following took part in the work of the thematic session: Assistants Minister Davor Trupkovic and Hrvoje Manenica, as well as National Coordinator of the European Heritage Year Anuška Deranja-Crnokić, Director of the Croatian Conservation Institute Dr. Tajana Pleše, Director of the Vukovar City Museum Ruža Marić, Director of the Vukovar Vučedol Culture Museum Mirela Hutinec, Head of the branch Centre Cvito Fisković at the Institute of Art History Split Sc.D. Joško Belamarić, Director of the Croatian State Archives Sc.D. Dinko Čutura, Director of the Archaeological Museum of Istria Darko Komšo, Senior Research Advisor at the Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Research Zagreb Sc. D. Tvrtko Zebec, associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb, Ph.D. Hrvoje Potrebica, Museum Advisor at the Zagreb Archaeological Museum and President of the Croatian Archaeological Society Sc. D. Jacqueline Balen, Head of Film Production Department of the Croatian State Archives Mladen Burić, Director of the Zadar Archaeological Museum, Sc.D. Jakov Vučić, Director of the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments Split, Sc.D. Miroslav Katić, Chief Conservators of the Ministry of Culture Tomislav Petrinec, Zoran Wiewegh, Ranka Saračević Wurth and Head of Sector Mirna Sabljak.
