The Croatian Conservation Institute was founded in 1997 by Decree of the Government of Croatia on the merging of State-owned public institutions in the field of conservation/restoration, that is, on the merging of the Institute for the Conservation of Objects of Art (founded in 1948) and the Conservation Institute of Croatia (founded in 1966).
The primary activity of the Croatian Conservation Institute is the conservation and restoration of immovable cultural goods (architectural heritage, wall paintings and mosaics, stone sculptures, stucco, archaeological sites), movable cultural goods (easel paintings, wooden polychrome sculptures, archaeological findings, works of art done on paper, furniture, objects made of textile or metal), as well as other objects of cultural, historical, or technical significance.
In addition to the Director, who is appointed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, on the recommendation of the Minister of Culture, the Institute is governed by an Administrative Council, which is appointed by the Minister. The Institute, financed from the State Budget, closely cooperates with the conservation departments of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia and with professional and scientific institutions in Croatia and abroad. The purpose of this cooperation is to conduct research, to carry out conservation/restoration protection, and to preserve cultural goods.