The National Office of Cultural Heritage (Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Hivatal, KÖH) was established in October 2001 by government order based on Act LXIV of 2001 on Cultural Heritage Protection. The regulatory conceptions imply simplification and deregulation in order to build up a legal framework in line with to recent European trends. The Act includes all three professional fields of immovable and movable cultural heritage: historic buildings, archaeology and cultural goods in private ownership.

The new statutory institute brought together the former National Board for the Protection of Historic Monuments (responsible for historic buildings) with another heritage organisation, the Cultural Heritage Directorate, which supervised archaeological sites and movable cultural heritage. KÖH is a governmental organisation under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Culture and is lead by the Chairman who is appointed by the Minister of Education and Culture. The Chairman's work is supported by the Deputy-Chairman. According to legal regulations, KÖH is the administrative authority in first instance of historic monuments, archaeological sites and movable cultural heritage. The National Office is responsible for 12 thousand listed historic sites, buildings, conservation areas and historic gardens all over Hungary as well as for more than 100 thousand archaeological sites and 35 thousand movable cultural heritage items and 240 collections in private ownership.
KÖH consists of several different units (departments, directorates, offices) providing a complex range of activities and services in the broad field of heritage conservation. The most important professional units from the point of archaeology include:
The seven Regional Offices, each with its own conservation and legal experts in the field of historic buildings and archaeological sites. The offices are the statutory authorities of first instance concerning the architectural and archaeological heritage of the region. With the support of the Excavation Committee and the Historic Monuments Advisory Committee, they provide planning permissions related to listed buildings, and consent to conservation areas, historic building environments and archaeological sites. There are the Listing and Recording Office, dealing with Heritage registration, inventory and listing (12.000 listed monuments, 15.000 listed movable cultural properties, 55.000 registered archaeological sites) and with publications (e.g. Régészeti kutatások Magyarországon [Archaeological Investigations in Hungary] periodical). The Research and Documentation Center for Historic Monuments is responsible for the scientific management of historic buildings (e.g. excavation of listed buildings, etc.), underpinning the work of the Regional Offices, management of archives (photos, plans) library service and professional periodicals and other publications (e.g. Magyar Műemlékvédelem [Hungarian Historic Monuments Protection], Lapidarium Hungaricum. Specifically with regards to archaeology other important units are: the Inspectorate of Cultural Goods (temporary export licensing of archaeological objects, etc.), the Authority Office (appeal cases), the Secretariat of International Scientific Relations and the Public Relations Department (see more details on www.koh.hu)

KÖH as an associative partner will take part in the main activities undertaken and supported by the ACE project, and will notably contribute to the realisation of Theme II, III and IV.