The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) is a Belgian federal scientific institute responsible for the documentation, study and conservation-restoration of the cultural and artistic heritage of Belgium. Art historians, photographers, chemists, archaeologists, engineers and conservator-restorers carry out interdisciplinary research on the materials and techniques used in works of art and cultural artefacts and on the materials and methods used in conservation-restoration. The KIK-IRPA is a unique resource for scientific, photographic and technical documentation of the cultural heritage of the country. It has a collection of over 1.000.000 negatives (including several tens of thousands digital born) of which over 700.000 photos are already accessible through BALaT (Belgian Art Links and Tools: http://balat.kikirpa.be)

img. Leuven’s Town Hall © KIK-IRPA