Restorer workshops have an irreplaceable role in the system of the NTM’s care of collections. Their beginnings and development copy the peripety of the museum’s collections’ journey. Their beginnings can be traced to the period of preparations in making the first collections publicly available in 1910 (in the Schwarzenberg Palace in Hradčany). This was followed by the incorporation of a grandly conceived workplace in the new building at Letná into the Invalidovna building in Prague.

The definitive, tragic culmination of activities in Invalidovna was the catastrophic flood in 2002. The restorer workshops played a major role in remedying the consequences of the flood collections. After an initial cleaning and basic conservation works, the collection objects were gradually subject to more intricate treatment.

The main mission of the restorer workshops is to care for collection objects via preventative conservation. The basic method of studying a treated collection object is through observation in the visible spectrum. This initial method is supplemented by a supplemented material analysis in collaboration with the museum’s newly built laboratory. In conservatory work we strive for minimum intervention in the treated object and we document everything in detail.

The most visible and most extensive are obviously the work done to prepare collection objects for newly built exhibits. However, an important part also consists of less obvious work in treating new acquisitions to the collection. Without the supervision and intervention of conservators the collection objections couldn’t even be moved to the new, modern halls on the depository premises in Čelákovice and regular inventory could not be carried out.

The structure, extent and diversity of the NTM collections (ca. 59,000 units are alone recorded) reflects the very broad spectrum of treated collection objects and the materials used for this. It’s enough just to realise that other independent fields mapping other, specialised areas from the exact sciences, photographic and film technology, mining, metallurgy to informatics and industrial design were affiliated to the original collections that documented the history of machine engineering, transportation, electrical engineering and building engineering. Consequently, this means there is a very wide scope and it places high demands on expertise and material supplies. Another step toward improving the quality of working conditions is the ongoing reconstruction of the workplace in the basement of the Letná building.

A logical addition to the main mission is the provision of a space for student work where students of specialised restorer and conservator schools can acquire real experience on an independent, comprehensive conservator project under the supervision of experienced staff.