Also in this issue is an article on another centre of excellence to receive the support of the European Commission with a grant. It is the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the ASCR where civil engineering and architecture are the main fields of application for research results. This tradition is more than 80 years old. Increased attention has been paid to safeguard the established heritage and its integration into the life of contemporary society. The complexity of problems of cultural heritage calls for a modern interdisciplinary approach and this was inaugurated in a systematic way in 1995 by founding a new department at the Institute - the Associated Centre for Historic Structures and Sites. The process has continued and now involves scientists from other research institutes and universities working at two research units - one in Prague and the other at the World Heritage City of Telč. and Miloš Drdácký.
Mýtus o společných dějinách a kultuře, který se objevil v 19. století a stál u počátků národní státnosti, měl být pro jednotlivé národy habsburské monarchie závazný. Navzdory všem centralizačním snahám však nevznikly pro získávání a uchovávání starověkých památek a nálezů jednotné normy. Nápadné jsou rozdíly mezi periferií a centrem. První a zásadní impulzy pro rozvoj muzeologie a archeologické památkové péče přinesly regiony a jednotlivé součásti monarchie, mezi nimi i Čechy. Naproti tomu německy mluvící země i politické centrum Vídeň tyto kroky učinily až se značným časovým zpožděním. Protože vědy o starověku ani památková péče nebyly habsburskými panovníky podporovány, chybí dodnes památkové péči v Rakousku jistá společenská opora, bez níž se péče o památky neobejde. and The myth of shared histories and cultures that appeared in the nineteenth century, and which played a role in the nascent stage of national statehood, was to be obligatory for the individual nations of the monarchy. However, despite all of the centralisation efforts, uniform standards were not created for collecting and preserving ancient artefacts. The differences between the centre of the monarchy and the outlying territories were significant. The first important impulses for the development of museology and archaeological heritage care came from regions and individual parts of the monarchy, including Bohemia. In contrast, these measures were adopted much later by the German-speaking lands and the political centre of Vienna. Due to the lack of support from the Habsburg rulers for the study of ancient times and for heritage care, there is a certain lack of support from Austrian society today for these concerns – support that is vital for the proper care of a country’s archaeological history.