Institution(s) in charge

Ministry of Culture and Media, according to Act on the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Property

• Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage - responsible for carrying out administrative and professional tasks related to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage, including parks and gardens.

Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, according to Nature Protection Act

• Directorate for Nature Protection – responsible for administrative and professional tasks related to the conservation of biodiversity and geodiversity, ecological network and protected areas (one of the categories is a monument of park architecture).
• Institute for Environment and Nature Protection - performs professional and analytical work in the field of nature protection and environmental protection.
• County councils – responsible for proclamations of protected areas on regional level (monuments of park architecture) and decisions regarding their management

 Other actors

• Public institutions for Management of Protected Areas of Nature
• Croatian Academy of Science and Arts – responsible for decisions and management of Arboretum Trsteno (Park of Villa Gučetić in Trsteno)
• Institute for Environment and Nature Protection - performs professional and analytical work in the field of nature protection and environmental protection 
• University of Zagreb, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urbanism, Spatial Planning and Landscape Architecture – higher education, conducts scientific and applied research in the field of architecture, urbanism, spatial planning including landscape architecture, promotes garden and park heritage 
• University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Ornamental Plants, Landscape Architecture and Garden Art - Department owns Center for Mediterranean Landscapes in Dubrovnik; research and professional work related to landscapes; development of landscaping projects; the arrangement of degraded areas, restoration of historic parks 
• Institute for Restauration of Dubrovnik – coordinates renovation of historic houses including gardens in the City of Dubrovnik and prepares Interpretation center of countryside house culture during historic Dubrovnik Republic 
• Croatian Conservation Institute - research, documentation, valorisation, interpretation, design, planning and supervision and implementation of direct works on the material structure by conservation and / or restoration of archaeological, immovable and movable cultural property of the Republic of Croatia 
• Institute of Art History, Zagreb - conducts scientific and applied research in the field of art history, library, documentation and publishing, participation in the process of higher education, scientific training and adult education, and the promotion of art history as a humanistic discipline important for the development of society.
• Croatian Chamber of Architects
• Association of Croatian Architects
• Croatian Society of Landscape Architects
• Museum Institution Dvor Trakošćan – responsible for the management of Trakošćan Castle and its historic park 
• Brijuni National Park – manage the national park of Island Brijuni whose character mainly determinates historic landscape park designed in 19th century as luxury health resort
• Public Institution Lokrum reserve – manage the area of special reserve of Island Lokrum with Benedictine Monastery Complex and gardens, lately renovated by Maximilian I of the Habsburg
• University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Botanical garden in Zagreb
• Regional administration in Counties dealing with the protection of cultural monuments, environmental protection and spatial planning
• Local administration of towns and municipalities dealing with the protection of cultural monuments, environmental protection and spatial planning

 Relevant legislation

Act on the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Property (OG 145/24, 151/25)

Nature Protection Act (OG: 80/13, 15/18, 14/19, 127/19, 155/23)

Management plans for protected areas:

Management plan for Park Maksimir, Zagreb, according to Nature Protection Act

Utility order of local government

Spatial planning documentation

 Protection measures

In protected areas of historical greenery, it is prohibited without prior approval of the Ministry of Culture and Media to take actions, except for regular maintenance.

Regional Conservation Offices and Services regularly require landscape project to be included in the process of obtaining confirmation, while in the more complex situations making of a conservation landscape study.

 Existing inventories

The Register of Cultural Property of the Republic of Croatia - by the beginning of January 2026, a total of 9015 cultural goods (6485 immovable, 2289 movable and 241 intangible cultural goods) have been inscribed in the Register of Cultural Property of the Republic of Croatia. Immovable cultural goods include 4878 individual immovable cultural goods, 1133 underwater and above ground archaeological sites and areas, 458 cultural-historical areas and 16 cultural landscapes.

Cultural landscapes inscribed in the Register are: Cultural Landscape of the Blaca Desert, Cultural Landscape of the Krupa River, Cultural and Historical Landscape of the Islet of Stipanska, Memorial Landscape of Matić poljana, Cultural landscape Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje-Plešivičko prigorje, Cultural Landscape of the Marjan peninsula, Cultural Landscape of the Brijuni Islands, Cultural Landscape of the Palagruža Archipelago, The Cultivated Landscape of Bucavac, Cultivated Landscape in the Area of Bela I and Bela II Castles, Cultural and Historical Landscape of Jankovac, Cultural Landscape of Starogradsko polje, Architectural and Landscape Complex of the Paravia-Barbariga Foritification System, Cultural Landscape of Daksa Island, Agricultural Landscape – Western Slope of Donji Brezinščak Street, The Sacral-Agrarian Landscape of the Brseč Field.

Many parks, gardens, arboretums and tree lined alleys are protected within immovable cultural goods. Some of them are: King Držislav’s Park in Osijek, Historic Park American Gardens in Opatija, The Gozze family country estate and Trsteno Arboretum in Trsteno, A park of sculptures created as part of the Artists’ colony of Željezara Sisak placed in the public space of the Caprag settlement in Sisak, City park in Vrgorac, Park Vitturi in Kaštel Lukšić, Park Martinis-Marchi in Bol, Park Garagnin-Fanfogna in Trogir, Forma Prima sculpture park in the Josipovac Forest in Krapina, Green horseshoe in Zagreb, Park Maksimir in Zagreb.

As of October 2025 immovable cultural goods cover the area of 2,63 % of ​​the Republic of Croatia.

The Register is maintained by the Ministry of Culture and Media, and the data is public.

Register of Protected Areas (nature protection)

The Register of Protected Areas contains data from the acts declaring all protected areas in the Republic of Croatia that are protected in accordance with the provisions of the Nature Protection Act the Register is maintained by the Ministry responsible for nature protection, and the data is public.

According to data from the Register as of September 12, 2022, the area of ​​protected areas is 817,383.34 ha, which makes up 13.37% of the land and 1.93% of the sea of ​​the Republic of Croatia. A total of 408 areas are protected in different protection categories: strict reserve (2), national park (8), special reserve (80), nature park (11), regional park (2), natural monument (78), protected landscape (79), forest park (27) and monument of park architecture (120).

 Online information

https://geoportal.kulturnadobra.hr/  GIS browser of immovable cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia

https://registar.kulturnadobra.hr/#/ Browser of the Register of Cultural Property of the Republic of Croatia

http://www.bioportal.hr/gis/ GIS browser for nature protection of the Republic of Croatia

 Specialised training

• High schools specialized for the gardening and agriculture
• Zagreb University, Faculty of Agriculture, Study of Landscape Architecture
• Zagreb University, Faculty of Forestry, Study of urban forestry, nature and environmental protection
• Zagreb University, Faculty of Philosophy, Study of art history
• Zagreb University, Faculty of Architecture

 Awareness-raising actions

• Different activities on local and national level
• Rendez-voux aux jardins – manifestation in June
• Week of botanical gardens and arboreta - May

 Terminology tools

There is a glossary/thesaurus in Croatian language relating to cultural heritage including gardens and parks

 Documentation

There are numerous literature on historic parks and garden.

It could be consulted in the book: 

Croatian Garden Architecture Heritage – protection and renovation / Hrvatska parkovna baština – zaštita i obnova

Author: Mladen Obad Šćitaroci

PUBLISHER: ŠKOLSKA KNJIGA d.d., Zagreb, 1992.

Ana Deanović: Utvrde i perivoji

Publisher: Institute of Art History Zagreb, 2001.

Public Parks and Gardens of Croatian Towns in 19th Century in European Context / Gradski perivoji Hrvatske u 19. stoljeću – javna perivojna arhitektura hrvatskih gradova u europskom kontekstu

Authors: Bojana Bojanić Obad Šćitaroci, Mladen Obad Šćitaroci, Géza Hajós (chapter 1: Gradski perivoji u Beču i u zemljama bivše Austrijske monarhije iz europske perspektive između 1765. i 1867.), Walter Krause (foreword)

PUBLISHER: ŠĆITAROCI d.o.o., Zagreb, 2004, ISBN 953-97121-3-0

CO-PUBLISHER: Faculty of Architecture University of Zagreb, arhitekt.hr

COLABORATORS: Vedran Ivanković, Damir Krajnik

Dubrovnik Renaissance Gardens Genesis and Design Characteristics,

Author: Bruno Šišić

Croatian Academy of Science and Arts, The Institute for Historical Sciences in Dubrovnik, Zagreb-Dubrovnik, 2008.

Dubrovačka ladanjska arhitektura (Country Residences and Villas of Dubrovnik)

Author: Nada Grujić

Publisher: Institute of Art History Zagreb, 2021.

Article: Perivoji vrtovi i šetališta u starom Zagrebu