Central Register of Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic
Historic sites and objects inscribed as cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture are listed on the Central Register of Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic (the USKP)*.
The Register is managed by the Central Office of the National Heritage Institute (by the Offices of Registration, Documentation and Information Systems). Administration of the Register is governed by a document entitled "The Chief Conservator's Directions for the Administration of the USKP".
* The items thus listed are protected by law, according to Act No. 20/1987 Coll. on State Heritage Preservation, as amended. The process of listing an item on the Register is stipulated in §7 of Act No. 20/1987, and further by §3 - §6 of Act No. 66/1988.
Properties and Items Registered on the Central Register of Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic
The Register (USKP) contains cultural heritage objects designated as such by the Ministry of Culture, according to §3 of Act No. 20/1987 Coll. on State Heritage Preservation, as amended. Also contained on the Register are National Cultural Properties, conservation areas (heritage reservations and zones of various types of significance - urban, village, archaeological, landscape, etc.), UNESCO World Heritage sites and heritage buffer zones. According to clause 1, §42 of Act. 20/1987, the Register also contains cultural heritage items listed on National Registers of Cultural Heritage under the previous Act No. 22/1958 on Cultural Heritage.
Notification of owners about the inclusion of an item on the Register
Owners are notified when a newly designated object is added to the Central Register of Cultural Heritage, and informed of the reference number under which it has been registered.
Document Collection of the Central Register of Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic
The Register consists of a card file containing registration cards with basic information about each item, an index in electronic form and a collection of appendices. The appendices mainly contain copies of legal documents relating to the object (designation as heritage of cultural significance, rulings about changes, etc.), as well as information about its condition. Finally, the appendices contain documentation collections.(link to 1030702 Document Collections)
Registration and Documentation Offices of the National Heritage Institute
The Registration and Documentation Offices manage the files of the Register. The Central Office manages the central file of the Register (USKP), while the regional branches keep copies of the files for their territories. They regularly check that the records are up to date. A project to fully update the records identifying immovable heritage objects took place in 2000 - 2007. The full update of records relating to movable heritage objects is still under way.
According to internal regulations, the Offices provide information about heritage preservation and registration to owners of historic objects, to the general public, as well as to other authorities and organisations. The National Heritage Institute is the provider of land-use analysis data according to statute 183/2006 - Land-use Planning and Building Regulations, as amended.
The Registration and Documentation Offices also fulfil the obligations stated under Act No. 71/1994 - Sale and Export of Items of Cultural Value, as amended. They carry out the functions emanating from a government decree requiring an integrated system of protection of movable cultural heritage items. The Offices closely cooperate with the Police, Customs and Trade Inspection services of the Czech Republic. The Offices also offer assistance to the Ministry of Culture and to regional and municipal authorities.
Subject to resource limitations, the Offices acquire photographic documentation of the heritage items and carry out building archaeological research. The Offices manage and update the document collection - a part of the appendices of the Register (USKP).
One of the functions of the Registration and Documentation Offices is the creation of information systems using modern technology, including a Geographic Information System (from here on known as 'GIS NPU').