About us

History

The Methodological Centre for Conservation (hereinafter MCC) continues the tradition in the field of conservation-restoration of museum collections, which has been developed in the Technical Museum in Brno (hereinafter TMB) since the beginning of the 1980s. The area of expertise of the conservation-restoration department has always been in both the safeguarding of the museum collections themselves and various educational and research activities aimed at the cultural heritage preservation. The outcome of this long-term activity was the creation of the MCC as a conceptual solution to improve the quality of the conservation of museum collections.

The MCC under the TMB was established after the floods affected the Czech Republic in 2002 based on the Czech Government Resolution No. 216 passed on 3 March 2003. Its priority was arranging for defrosting, desiccation, and sterilization of a part of the Ministry of Culture’s collections between 2004 and 2008. The core of the MCC was specialized departments of the TMB for the conservation-restoration of various materials and it has been gradually extended via providing professional advice and services in the respective field. These activities are intended for owners or custodians of museum-type collections which are not only museums and galleries but also the National Heritage Institute, National Library of the CR, and private entities. By the decision of the Minister of Culture No. 16/2009, the MCC became “the National Methodological Centre in the field of conservation-restoration of museum objects from museums in the Czech Republic“.

Mission

The chief purpose of the MCC is the support and development of the appropriate practice in the process of the preservation of the movable cultural heritage in the CR, mainly in the museum-type collections care. The MCC provides a complete service including the methodology and counselling in the field of conservation-restoration to a number of entities, but primarily to museums. The Centre carries out investigation of cultural heritage objects through analytical methods; provides educational service for both professionals and the general public; carries out conservation-restoration of selected cultural items; and it provides publication services by publishing professional literature, monographs, proceedings, and periodicals dealing with the safeguarding of cultural heritage objects. It also provides an information service to facilitate access to the current knowledge-base of conservation-restoration through a specialist library under the TMB and on-line annotated bibliography. Last but not least, the Centre facilitates responding to emergency situations by eliminating possible damage caused by unexpected critical situations and by remediation of their consequences.

Structure

The MCC is an organizational unit of the TMB and comprises several departments: Science and Research, Conservation and Restoration, Methodology, Education and Services, and Crises and Emergencies