National Institute of Heritage

The National Institute of Heritage is a national level authority in the field of protection of cultural heritage in Romania, providing technical support to the Ministry of Culture on the relevant topics. Among others, it is the administrator of the archive related to the historical monuments of the country, and it is in charge of developing and managing databases related to the cultural heritage of Romania. The archive brings together a wide array of resources, originating in the specific activity of several historic institutions and in the general activity dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage, covering the timeframe from 1892 to present. It is the largest cultural heritage archive in Romania, and it is operated as a public service. It contains the most comprehensive collections of documents – administrative documents, restoration projects, research and investigation records, photographs, maps, film recordings, aerial photographs – in the country, with a high relevance for territories of neighbouring countries – Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria and for communities that now live elsewhere in Europe – e.g. Transylvanian Saxons. The Archive is housed and operated on the premises of INP, and it is run by experienced professional staff. The Cultural Heritage Archive gathers together several national resources, most of which are in the process of being digitized and transferred on digital online platforms. These are: Historic archive of the Monuments Commission and of the Monuments Directorate – analogue archive, topography, photography, aerial photography and film collections; Archive of the National Restoration Programme – analogue and digital archive; Historic archive of the immovable and movable heritage inventory – analogue archive; National Ethno-folkloric databank – analogue archive; National inventory of immovable heritage – database with limited access, under transformation in on-line inventory; Historic monuments database – database with limited access, under transformation in on-line inventory; National Archaeological Register – online database of archaeological sites; eGISpat - immovable heritage cartographic server; Cultural Heritage Digital Library – professional digital library.