Miljenko DOMIJAN

MILJENKO DOMIJAN (Croatia, 1946) graduated in Fine Arts at the Pedagogical Academy in Rijeka, studied Art History and Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar, and specialized in the preservation of architectural heritage at the International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome.

He has been working at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Zadar since 1968, becoming its director in 1976. He was appointed chief conservator in the Ministry of Culture in the early 1990s, and held the position of assistant minister. He is currently president of the Croatian Council for Cultural Heritage and adviser to the minister in the field of cultural heritage preservation.

He participated in several social and professional government bodies such as the State Council for Spatial Planning, the Council for Tourism of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU), chairman of the commission for the historical core of the city of Zadar, consultant for the restoration of the cathedral in Dubrovnik, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Ancient Glass, the Institute for Urban Planning and Permanent exhibitions of church art in Zadar. He was president of the Society of Croatian Conservators and president of the National Board of ICOMOS for several terms. He is a member of the Committee for the Reconstruction of the Zagreb Cathedral and the President of the Committee for the Reconstruction of the Cathedral in Šibenik. For 20 years, he directed the Expert Advisory Commission of UNESCO on the restoration of the architectural heritage in Dubrovnik destroyed by the earthquake and the war. In addition, he is active in the Council for the Restoration of the Monumental Complexes of Vukovar, Vučedol and Ilok.

Domijan led many research, renovation and protective projects of architectural heritage and movable monument inventory at the domestic and international levels (BiH, Slovenia). At the beginning of the Homeland War, he stood up for the preservation of cultural assets from war destruction and possible looting. Apart from the protection of cultural assets, Domijan was involved in their presentation at exhibitions in the homeland and abroad (Italy, France). He published a large number of professional and scientific works on research of the artistic heritage on the Croatian coast.

He taught at the university course in Culture and Tourism School in Zadar, as well as at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar and Split. He occasionally gives lectures on art history studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, and at the Faculty of Architecture doctoral program. As a guest lecturer, he taught in Rome (ICCROM), San Marino, Florence, Aquileia, London, Bamberg, Ljubljana and Sremski Karlovci.

Domijan created a rich photographic oeuvre, trying to record and stop the history, transience and beauty of things in photographs of a personal, artistic character, presented at eight large independent exhibitions in the country and abroad.

He has been awarded many times for his work, among which the Danica with the face of Marko Marulić award, the Vicko Andrić award for life's work in the preservation of Croatian heritage, the HAZU award for the highest scientific and artistic achievements in the Republic of Croatia, the Order of Prince Branimir with the necklace as the highest award in the domain of social activities. In 2017, the City of Zadar honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Among the international awards and recognitions, it is worth mentioning the Italian Pasquale Rotondi award, the Order of St. Sava of the second order of the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Svetozar Pribičević award of the Serbian National Council.