Our mission is to provide the Czech and international public with comprehensive services in the field of theatre and individual services relating to the arts (music, literature, dance, and the visual arts). We collect, process, and provide access to collectible materials relating to the theatre. We conduct research and pursue educational activities. We participate in international projects and publish specialised and scholarly literature. We are also home to the Creative Europe Desk Czech Republic – Culture Programme. The Arts and Theatre Institute is a state contributory organisation that was established by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1959 as the Theatre Institute and since the middle of the 1970s the institute has been based in the baroque Manhart Palace on Celetná street in downtown Prague. In 2007 the institute changed its name to the Arts and Theatre Institute.