Lines of action. Cultural Heritage

The Office for the Protection of Historical Heritage and the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute conduct their activities through a series of lines of action, which include:

• Cultural Heritage Protection: Through the establishment and maintenance of legal mechanisms for vigilance against pillaging and illegal export in Spain; to this end, improvements are being made to the tools for the cataloguing, inventory, registry and documentation of assets.
• Enrichment of the State-owned collections: Channelling a variety of methods for acquiring cultural assets for State-owned museums, libraries and archives.
• Investment in Cultural Heritage: Works are financed annually for the conservation and acquisition of Spanish Historical Heritage assets and artistic creativity is encouraged through "1% Cultural".
• Co-ordination and communication among the Autonomous Communities: The Autonomous Communities have assumed authority over the protection of Cultural Heritage through their own legislation. The Ministry is obliged to collaborate and act as the co-ordinator between them, especially through the Historical Heritage Council.
• International co-operation: Through the relations established with the entities involved in managing heritage at the European and global levels; promotion of the international action programmes related to Heritage and the commitment to complying with the obligations set forth in the International Convention on Cultural Heritage ratified by Spain.
• Conservation and restoration: The Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute, in accomplishing its missions, focuses part of its efforts each year on the restoration of works of art and archaeological objects owned by the Nation, the Public Administrations and the Church, through a variety of plans: National Cathedrals Plan, National Industrial Heritage Plan, National Castles Plan and National World Heritage Plan.