The UNESCO Chair of Museology and World Heritage at the Masaryk University has been existing since 1994 and is still the only UNESCO Chair in the world, which focuses on supporting museology. Also still the only UNESCO Chair in the Czech Republic. Since the 1st of July 2014 is the UNESCO Chair of Museology and World Heritage an independent part of the Centre of Museology of the Department of Archaeology and Museology.
Who are we?
UNESCO Chair of Museology and World Heritage
is profiled as a centre of thoughts, a place of encounters and exchange of knowledge in the field of museology and related disciplines.
implies a narrow interdisciplinary cooperation between individual bodies of the Masaryk University, cooperation with universities in the Czech Republic and abroad and with other professional institutions conducting museological and archaeological practice, so that it can methodically cover the field of theoretical as well as applied museology and the issue of preservation and presentation of world heritage.
is aimed at a targeted support of the society-wide awareness of the role which museums are playing in the sustainable development of society, and at strengthening their significance as subjects of cultural and intercultural dialogue and bearers of memory of past generations.
is conceived as a centre of professional support to museums and other cultural institutions which are concerned with the phenomenon of cultural heritage.
What we deal with?
The activity of the Chair is focused on supporting the scientific role of museums, scientific background of museology as a discipline, and the applied level of daily museum practice in three fundamental areas – theory of museology and history of the museum phenomenon, museum exhibitions and museum pedagogy.
Educational activity in the form of lectures, seminars, internships, specialised publications and other forms of mentoring follows the principles of lifelong learning.
An important part of activities of the UNESCO Chair of Museology and World Heritage consists in supporting the interconnection of the Czech museological and museum environment with current development of the discipline worldwide in the form of lectures held by recognised foreign museologists, and by presenting the Czech museological background to foreign audience.
UNESCO Chair activites are regularly supervised by UNESCO Board. Its members are designated by rector of Masaryk University according to proposal of UNESCO Chair head. UNESCO Chair members are respected personalities in the disciplines relating to UNESCO Chair activities.
Materials connected with UNESCO Chair activities see in the section here.
educational activity towards the experts as well as the non-professional public;
mediation of the newest professional knowledge to Czech and foreign experts and public authorities.
Key topics:
theoretical and applied museology (history of the museum phenomenon, museum pedagogy, museum exhibitions);
museological care for archaeological heritage.
The activities of the UNESCO Chair are targeted at:
university students in the Czech Republic and abroad;
college students in the Czech Republic;
academic workers at universities in the Czech Republic and abroad;
workers in museums, institutions of monument care and other branches of cultural heritage (e.g. archaeological institutions) in the Czech Republic and abroad;
specialised museological and archaeological professional associations, and professional associations in other disciplines concerned with cultural heritage;
workers in public authorities who are engaged in administration of cultural heritage.