The organ – queen of instruments and part of cultural heritage

Cultural heritage in any of its forms through its diversity and peculiarity represents the wealth of mankind, and its preservation is one of the most important factors for recognising, defining and achieving recognition of cultural identity. Organ is not only an instrument or a tool used during the church service, but it can certainly be claimed to be an inevitable part of cultural heritage. It is one of the most ancient types of musical instruments that is passed on from generation to generation for centuries. For this reason, its cultural value is practically invaluable. This paper provides main information on the organ, its main constituent parts and the building systems used from the very beginning of the organ building until the present day. More than eight hundred organs are registered altogether in the Republic of Croatia. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the most important organs that can be found in five counties in the eastern Croatia that represent an important and valuable part both of the Croatian and the European cultural heritage. By the number of registers (but not their cultural value) the largest organs can be found in the cathedrals of Osijek, Dakovo and Pozega. Beside the organs, the most important organ builders are also discussed in this paper. Some of the organs belong to the category of cultural monuments that have to be taken care of and maintained regularly. Therefore, they are under the protection of the Ministry of Culture, which is in charge of the development of mechanisms and the establishment of cultural heritage protection measures with the aim to provide their sustainability. The protection and preservation of cultural heritage ensure the persistence of cultural values and provide a potential for further development of the Republic of Croatia, its reputation, the stimulation of economic competitiveness as well as a better quality life in the European environment. This is very important having in mind the fact that many organs in the eastern Croatia were severely damaged or even completely destroyed during the Homeland war.