Editorial Contents - THEO publishers

Restoration studios of the National Archives in Prague
Help for Florence
Rather paradoxically, it was the
catastrophic floods in Florence in
1966 that marked a turning point in
the development of the field of restoration
not only in this country but
also abroad. On this occasion, many
priceless manuscripts, books and
other printed material, parchment
documents, maps and plans stored in
the city’s libraries and archives were
damaged or completely destroyed.
The Central State Archives in Prague
immediately offered its help to the
National Library in Florence in preserving
the collections affected by
the destructive floods. Its generous
offer was accepted and for the next
two years archival restorers from Prague
undertook four trips to Florence.
The experience they gained when
working with their foreign colleagues,
especially those from Italy
and Great Britain, was then reflected
in changes they introduced into their
conservation and restoration practice
back home.
Renewing Iraq’s heritage
One of the most interesting examples
of the work of Czech restorers
Restoration course in the Kurdish town of Irbil in Iraq (above and in the centre); the new restoration unit of the Iraq
National Library and Archives in Baghdad (below)
Science
In the science of the conservation
and restoration of archival materials,
the latest results of scientific
research and the most advanced
findings in the humanities mingle
with the restorer’s sensitivity and his
skill as a craftsman.
abroad is the cooperation with the
Iraqi National Library and Archives
in Baghdad. This began in 2003,
when the institution’s premises were
twice engulfed in flames during the
capture of the city. Some of the documents
that were not destroyed in the
fires later suffered water damage
when a water main in the room where
they were temporarily stored burst.
They included very valuable fonds
from the Ottoman Archives, dating
from the beginning of the nineteenth
century to the 1920s. As part of the
Czech “Help for the renewal of the
heritage of the Iraq Republic”,
experts trained twenty Iraqi restorers
and a new micrographic unit was set
up for the Iraqi National Library and
Archives in Baghdad. The second
phase of help brought the provision
of a unit for the restoration and conservation
of books and archival materials
and the development of a specialized
course in practical restoration
techniques. On the basis of a project
prepared by restorers at the National
Archives, the Gema Art Group fully
equipped the restoration and conservation
unit and had it delivered to the
Iraqi city of Irbil. After the course
finished, the facilities were taken
down and reshipped to Baghdad.
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