The Directorate for Cultural Heritage ( or Direktoratet for kulturminneforvaltning) is a government agency responsible for the management of cultural heritage in Norway. Subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, it manages the Cultural Heritage Act of June 9, 1978. The directorate also has responsibilities under the Norwegian Planning and Building Law.

Cultural Heritage Management in Norway

The directorate for Cultural Heritage Management is responsible for management on the national level. At the regional level the county municipalities are responsible for the management in their county. The Sami Parliament is responsible for management of Sámi heritage. On the island of Svalbard the Governor of Svalbard has management responsibilities. For archaeological excavations there are five chartered archeological museums.

History

The work with cultural heritage started in the early 1900s, and the first laws governing heritage findings came in 1905, with the first law protecting heritage buildings appearing in 1920. The post as National Antiquarian was established in 1912. When the Ministry of the Environment was created in 1972 the responsibility was transferred there, and the current law for cultural heritage is dated June 9, 1978, replacing the two older laws. The post was made a directorate on July 1, 1988.

List of National Antiquarians