The Croatian Conservation Institute was founded in 1997 by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on a Merger of Public Institutions in the Field of Conservation and Restoration owned by the Republic of Croatia: the Institute for Restoration of Works of Art (founded in 1948) and the Conservation Institute of Croatia (founded in 1966). The main activity of the Croatian Conservation Institute is conservation and restoration of immovable cultural goods (architectural heritage, wall paintings and mosaics, stone sculptures and stucco), movable cultural goods (easel paintings, wooden polychrome sculptures, furniture, art on paper, artworks of leather, and items of textile or metal), archaeological heritage, and other objects of cultural, historical or technical significance. In addition to the Director, appointed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia at the recommendation of the Minister of Culture, the Institute is governed by a Steering Council, appointed by the Minister. The Institute, financed from the state budget, closely cooperates with conservation departments of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage Protection of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, and with professional and scientific institutions in Croatia and abroad. The purpose of this cooperation is the fulfilment of the Institute's tasks in the fields of research, conservation-restoration, protection, and preservation of cultural assets.