From the very foundation of the National Museum there was an awareness of the importance of protecting objects. The beginnings of protection were related to the most basic principles of preventive protection, while professional conservation of important objects was carried out in the National Museum in Belgrade.
With the employment of an educated conservator in 1962 conditions were created for the formation of the conservation department, where the conservation and protection of objects made of ceramics, stone, wood and glass was carried out. With the establishment of the laboratory in 1984 the conservation work was extended to metal objects, and a few years later to textile objects.