This masters thesis presents the work of a prominent Croatian classical philologist, archaeologist and epigrapher, conservator of Dalmatian monuments, museum curator and director Mihovil Glavinić (1883. – 1898.). It is structured in three connected chapters that follow his life path, outlining the crucial professional stages: Ancestry, youth and education; Archaeological Museum in Split and monuments of the Split district; Archaeological Museum in Zadar and the monuments of the Zadar district. Glavinić's museum work from the periods of his management of the aforementioned museums, as well as his conservation work for various departments within the network of the Viennese Imperial and Royal Central Commission for the Study and Maintenance of Artistic and Historical Monuments, are approached and illuminated. In addition, Glavinić's letters from his study days in Berlin, as well as entries from the catalogues of Faculty of Philosophy in Vienna, which were completely unknown until now in domestic professional literature, are disclosed. At the end, the concrete role of Mihovil Glavinić in the development of the functions of the oldest museum institutions in our homeland is valorized, but also his role in the overall preservation of Dalmatian cultural heritage, and ultimately its transmission to future generations. In order to help understanding the socio-political context in which Glavinić lived and worked, significant events during the Second Austrian Administration were taken into account, especially those related to the very beginnings of state museums and the establishment of the conservation office in the province of Dalmatia.