About

In 2003, in recognition of the universal significance of Nikola Tesla and his inventions, UNESCO added Tesla’s archive, as part of the moveable human documentary heritage, to the Memory of the World Register, the highest form of protection of cultural assets. On the national level, the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, in 2005, brought a Resolution declaring the archival material preserved in the Nikola Tesla Museum as the Personal Collection of Nikola Tesla to be cultural material of exceptional significance.

Basic protective measures for any kind of documentary material must include physical protection. In keeping with this, the Museum’s archival materials have been repacked in new folders and boxes, made to the highest standards. Special air-conditioned chambers have been designed and installed for the final disposal and preservation of the archival material, and a conservation and restoration program is ongoing.

One special aspect of protection is the digitalization of documentary material. The process of digitalization produces copies which may be used in place of the originals. The entire collection of the Museum has been digitalized and also microfilmed. This procedure secures the permanence of the material for future generations. The Nikola Tesla Museum, as a complex institution for the protection of cultural materials, embraces the vision of “permanent and universal availability of the documentary legacy” as the goal to which it aspires. In this it shares the lot of many similar institutions in terms of the particular restrictions on access to all parts of the moveable legacy of Nikola Tesla.