The administrative status of museum exhibits in the Spanish legal system

The paper deals with the administrative status of museum exhibits in the Spanish legal system. The assumptions of the Spanish Historical Heritage Act of 1985, which regulates the status of BIC (bienes de interés cultural) cultural property (both movable and immovable) and various levels of protection depending on the category, were presented. The procedure of granting BIC status and the systems for cataloguing cultural property were also discussed. The system of protection of cultural property in Spain is highly decentralized, which also applies to the functioning of museums. The Spanish Autonomous Communities have extensive regional legislation regulating the above-mentioned issues. The article analyses regional regulations in this area based on the example of the autonomous community of Catalonia – on the basis of statutory regulations in the field of culture and cultural heritage and the Catalan Historical Heritage Act of 1993. This allowed for a comprehensive presentation of the complexity of the system of cultural property protection in Spain (at the state and regional level) and prompted reflection on the legitimacy and effectiveness of decentralized solutions in this area.

Keywords: museum exhibits in Spain, Spanish cultural heritage, monuments and museum collections in Spain
 

Streszczenie: Artykuł podejmuje problematykę statusu administracyjnego muzealiów w hiszpańskim systemie prawnym. Przedstawiono założenia ustawy o hiszpańskim dziedzictwie historycznym z 1985 r., która reguluje status dóbr kultury BIC (bienes de interés cultural) – zarówno ruchomości, jak i nieruchomości – oraz poziomy ochrony w zależności od kategorii. Omówiono procedurę nadawania statusu BIC i systemy katalogowania dóbr kultury. System ochrony dóbr kultury w Hiszpanii jest mocno zdecentralizowany, co dotyczy również funkcjonowania muzeów. Hiszpańskie wspólnoty autonomiczne posiadają bogate ustawodawstwo regionalne regulujące wspomnianą problematykę. W artykule przeanalizowano regulacje regionalne w tym zakresie na przykładzie wspólnoty autonomicznej Katalonii – na podstawie regulacji statutowych w zakresie kultury i dziedzictwa kulturowego oraz ustawy o katalońskim dziedzictwie historycznym z 1993 r. Pozwoliło to na kompleksowe ukazanie złożoności systemu ochrony dóbr kultury w Hiszpanii (na poziomie państwowym i regionalnym) oraz skłoniło do refleksji nad zasadnością i efektywnością zdecentralizowanych rozwiązań w tym zakresie.

The paper deals with the administrative status of museum exhibits in the Spanish legal system. The assumptions of the Spanish Historical Heritage Act of 1985, which regulates the status of BIC (bienes de interés cultural) cultural property (both movable and immovable) and various levels of protection depending on the category, were presented. The procedure of granting BIC status and the systems for cataloguing cultural property were also discussed. The system of protection of cultural property in Spain is highly decentralized, which also applies to the functioning of museums. The Spanish Autonomous Communities have extensive regional legislation regulating the above-mentioned issues. The article analyses regional regulations in this area based on the example of the autonomous community of Catalonia – on the basis of statutory regulations in the field of culture and cultural heritage and the Catalan Historical Heritage Act of 1993. This allowed for a comprehensive presentation of the complexity of the system of cultural property protection in Spain (at the state and regional level) and prompted reflection on the legitimacy and effectiveness of decentralized solutions in this area.