Cultural Heritage & Conservation

The aim of the Cultural Heritage and Conservation programme is to provide knowledge and the necessary practical skills for qualified professional work in the field of cultural heritage protection, preservation, conservation and restoration.

  • The Academy of Arts is the only school of higher education in Estonia where one can acquire an academic higher education in cultural heritage and architectural conservation and restoration, as well as the conservation and restoration of art. The department’s faculty members are recognised and highly respected specialists in their fields.
  • The curriculum is responsive to changes and developments in the philosophy, as well as theories and practices, of cultural heritage and restoration. It is based on the principles of sustainable development and balanced innovation through the consistent development of the cultural environment.
  • Preserving and protecting the cultural legacy, and its professional conservation and restoration necessitates the education of highly qualified specialists.

News and events

maarjam6e_1980

War on Monuments: Debates over Russian/Soviet Heritage in Eastern and Central Europe since 2022

Online roundtable Since February 2022, many Russian Imperial and Soviet statues and symbols have been removed from public space, accompanied by heated discussions in the local (social) media. The nature of the actions varies, but in several countries political rather than expert decisions have been the guiding force, with an immediate effect on the actual monuments of art, architecture and ...
Riin Alatalu

Riin Alatalu Recognized with the White Star Decoration

Associate professor Riin Alatalu received the Valgetähe IV class medal (White Star) from the President of the Republic, Alar Karis. Riin Alatalu is an energy bomb in the field of heritage, not afraid to speak loudly even in difficult and conflicting public debates, be it the red monuments, the extension of Estonia theater, the restaurant project of Tartu Cathedral or any other crisis issue ...
Purdi_KJ

Third Estonian art historians’ joint MA seminar in Purdi

On 9th–10th January 2023 a seminar bringing together MA students from Estonian universities who work on art history, visual culture, curating, conservation, museum studies and museum education was held in Purdi manor. This was the third one in the series (after 2019 and 2022), with the aim of discussing each other’s topics from multiple perspectives. 40 students and leading staff members from ...
Sittow portree

Seminar “Michel Sittow in the North and South”

The seminar “Michel Sittow in the North and South” will be held on Wednesday, November 23 at 16:00 in EKA room A101. The seminar is held in English. SPEAKERS: Oskar Rojewski, University of Silesia in Katowice, University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid Michel Sittow’s service to Isabel of Castille (1492-1502) and Habsburgs (1505-1515) Greta Koppel, Art Museum of Estonia Michel Sittow in the North? ...
Buzludzha

Course on Soviet Architectural Heritage

In Estonia, in the last decade, the heritage of the Soviet period has been evaluated with an open eye and the best of it has been protected. The Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation of the Estonian Academy of Arts organizes from 03 – 07 October for the second time, an intensive course where the architecture and related monumental art of the Soviet period  are discussed in ...
T6ramaa_j6e_puisniit_Soomaal_Toomas_Kalda

Project WOODMEADOWLIFE

The Estonian-Latvian joint LIFE project (LIFE20 NAT/EE/000074) “Restoring and promoting a long-term sustainable management of Fennoscandian wooded meadows in Estonia and Latvia” focuses on the restoration of wooded meadows in Estonia and Latvia, creation of sustainable solutions for maintenance and on raising public awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of wooded meadows and their ...