One hundred years after the official opening of the Monument Office in Slovenia, which was the symbolic beginning of the planned collection of documents and books on cultural heritage protection and field surveys, it is time to show the public some precious selected items from the INDOK Centre of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture.
In the hundred years of protecting immovable cultural heritage in Slovenia, the premises were and opened and dedicated on the ninetieth anniversary of cultural heritage protection, with 100 linear metres of shelved conventional archives, 96,000 negatives, 64,000 positives, 17,000 slides, 10,440 technical plans, drawings, watercolour paintings etc. Specialists in different fields have developed the Cultural Heritage Register on the basis of record sheets used by conservators making new field surveys. The Register contains almost 30,000 units, which can be viewed and studied and are accessible to anyone with a home computer. The library has developed into the country’s central institution in the field of cultural heritage protection. Currently, it has 11,700 volumes of journals and 16,850 monographs. For the exhibition, the authors selected representative documents, photographs and books which show the course of changes from the Central Commission to the new millennium. The role of three important conservators: Stelè, Ivan Komelj and Marijan Zadnikar, and the former Kostanjevica Monastery is particularly emphasised.
With each document, this exhibition is a tribute to all the well-known and lesser-known heroes who over the course of a hundred years provided for the preservation of the nation’s essence, the space and buildings within it, the objects and spirit of the space. The value of what we treasure is reflected in stories, poems or printed books and documents. This modest selection is merely a very small portion of what is available to all who are curious, including the owners of the heritage and scientists. The material is a reminder that we have not done enough to appreciate the role of conservators, to understand our history and its inner significance rather than external, sometimes hollow and repeated symbols, such as coat of arms. In Slovenia, it is not possible to open one’s eyes and not see a castle above a city, a church on a hill, a hayrack in a meadow. The real significance is in the intangible heritage, in knowledge and will of a mason who built the wall, the carpenter who made the roof, the carver and the painter and the thousands of anonymous people who made and have maintained our diverse culture. We should reflect on the never-ending path of heritage. Its future is open; it is a challenge for new generations of its creators and preservers. A cultural attitude to heritage is a cultural attitude to people.
Organisers
Heritage Information and Documentation Centre (INDOK Centre), Cultural Heritage Directorate, Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Culture
National Gallery of Slovenia
Concept and Design
Brigita Petek
Authors of the exhibition
Magda Miklavčič Pintarič, Gojko Zupan, Brigita Petek, Ksenija Kovačec Naglič, Barbara Kavčič
Coordinator of the exhibition
Mateja Breščak
Conservation-Restoration Preparation of Documents
Tina Buh
Filmstrips
Public Institution RTV Slovenia
Slovene Film Archives, Archives of the Republic of Slovenia
The exhibition was supported by
Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Culture
18 September–13 October 2013
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana