EMYA 2024 NOMINEES

ANDORRA-LA-VELLA, ANDORRA

BICI LAB ANDORRA

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Located in the heart of Andorra la Veija, the capital and largest city of Andorra, the newly built Bici Lab Andorra explores the world of bicycles from both a historical and contemporary perspective, offering an opportunity to learn a great deal about local and European history, the environment and the current and future economic potential of cycling. The museum offers a space to reflect on what bicycles can contribute to today’s strategies for sustainable mobility and healthy living. More than a museum, it is also a lab for cycling and cycling culture enthusiasts where different hands-on and educational installations offer visitors a unique experience of what it is to cycle in the mountains of Andorra, to discover the landscape as well as the personal and social benefits of cycling. The media library is where visitors can explore Ali Baba’s cave and see where a large part of the collection is stored. The Lab’s multifunctional space is made available to local groups, organisations and businesses.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

ZOOM CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

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A hub for children’s engagement and learning in Vienna, the ZOOM Children’s Museum offers a sensory discovery of the world for children of all ages. The exhibitions and workshops are created in collaboration with local artists, engineers, and cultural mediators to nurture children’s curiosity, creativity, and self-expression on their terms. Zoom projects address key topics in the areas of the sciences, art, architecture, and everyday culture in ways that are playful and engaging to children. Working individually or in small groups, children zoom in on objects and situations which enables them to find out about themselves and discover their skills, abilities, and creativity. The museum’s multimedia lab – Zoom Animation Studio– offers a creative space for children and teenagers to take the roles of screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, photographers, and sound engineers. With the help of state-of-the-art technology, they create animated films, 3D animations as well as sound collages and pop songs. The projects enable children and young people to critically reflect and discover the world’s contemporary issues and trends. Pop-up projects across the city widen access beyond the building encouraging a broader more diverse audience.

NAMUR, BELGIUM

TREM.A – MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ART OF NAMUR

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The TreM.a – Museum of Ancient Art is housed in an 18th-century mansion in the heart of Namur. Once the townhouse of Gaiffier d’Hestroy de Tamison, it was bequeathed to the province, and in the 1960s it was converted into a museum. TreMa offers a journey of discovery travelling through the history of the Valley of the Sambre and the Meuse through to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The collections include major works of regional and Namurian art spanning more than five centuries, from the renowned Treasure of Oignies to the paintings by Mannerist landscape painter Henri Bles and the Mosan sculptures produced by local workshops, corporations, and organizations. The recently renovated museum offers new encounters with the collections, namely through new digital and multimedia tools and a redesigned scenography. The museum’s garden is open to locals and visitors, providing a quiet escape from the city’s bustle. Beyond its walls, the museum’s outreach programmes aim to integrate the city’s cultural fabric by hosting local festivals and cultural and artistic events.

MOUSCRON, BELGIUM

MUSEUM OF FOLKLORE BORDER LIFE (MUSEF)

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The Museum of Folklore Border Life (MUSEF) is a local history museum in the province of Hainaut dedicated to cross-border life between Wallonia Picardy, West Flanders, and Northern France. The collection, gathered since 1953, is centred on the social-cultural roots of the Mouscron region from the middle of the 19th century to the 1960s. It evokes working-class life, the development of local trades and skilled craftsmanship, and explores the expansion of commercial activities across borders. The museum’s exhibitions address key cross-border themes including fraud and textiles and confronts current social debates including gender heritage, migration, and sustainable development. Housed in a new building since 2019, the museum’s redevelopment has brought together diverse partners including residents, researchers, architects, scenographers, landscape architects, sustainable development engineers, and visual artists, to create a new public space. The ethnobotanical garden plays a central role in evoking the museum’s strategic commitment to sustainability-driven activities. The new, redesigned museum now focuses on the role of the museum as a local social agent through the use of local heritage in the promotion of sustainable development and community dialogue.

ANTWERP, BELGIUM

ROYAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP (KMSKA)

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As the main art museum in southern Flanders, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) reopened its doors in 2022 after more than a decade of renovation. The newly refurbished 19th-century building presents new opportunities to discover its renowned Flemish and Belgian, but also international artists from the 14th to the 20th centuries. The museum’s reinvented approach working and collaborating with local communities, offers new connections between the art on display and its visitors, encouraging more tailored experiences where traditional displays of masterpieces are put alongside more contemporary, and often whimsical visual arts. The museum has purposely foregone the traditional mission statement, preferring instead not to convey a definitive meaning or message as an institution, but to leave room for dialogue, feeling, playing, experimenting, and creating. KMSKA also cooperates with universities, research centres, scientific working groups, and other museums in advancing scientific research related to art and visual culture conservation. An on-site conservation workshop –now made visible to visitors– gives greater insight into the work behind the scenes.

ČAKOVEC, CROATIA

MUSEUM OF MEĐIMURJE ČAKOVEC

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Museum Forum Čakovec is located in the historic Old Town of Zrinski, in Čakovec. With its newly created Treasury of the Medimurje Museum of Intangible Heritage inside the reconstructed fortifications of the Zrinski castle – the largest mediaeval fortification in the Međimurje county, the museum is a key regional player in the preservation of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Its two permanent exhibitions now centre on people, personal narratives, and regional heritage. The museum’s redevelopment has deployed great efforts in boosting accessibility across the fortress and the museum for all audiences. This sets a benchmark in the region for how local history museums and other cultural organizations can engage diverse audiences and address accessibility requirements in unique ways. This has included the collaboration with disabled people working on accessible solutions including content that engages broader visitor experience.

LARNAKA, CYPRUS

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF LARNAKA DISTRICT

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The Archaeological Museum of Larnaka District reopened to the public in 2022 after undergoing major refurbishment. The museum falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus and is housed in a typically Cypriot modernist building. As the main archaeological museum of Larnaka, it aims to be a regional resource on Cyprian material culture and history, covering Cypriot civilization from the Neolithic to the Roman periods. With nearly two thousand objects on display distributed over two wings and an inner courtyard, the museum is dedicated to giving its visitors a sense of place, exploring the historical development of the district and linking to the realities of everyday life that includes living in a multilingual and cosmopolitan city. The museum brings the past into the present by connecting international commerce to the excavation works that are carried out today.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

MUSEUM OF CZECH LITERATURE

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The Museum of Czech Literature, formerly the Memorial of National Literature, has relocated to the Petschek Villa in Bubenec, a century-old villa in the northwest district of Prague. Opened in 2022, the museum records the history of literature and literary culture in Czech lands, including stories on the life, work, and legacy of important figures of Czech literature and literary culture from the 18th century until the present. Archival materials are displayed alongside a contemporary visual art collection. As a state institution, the museum conducts scientific research on archives that include books, manuscripts, prints, memorabilia, statues, and artworks. To increase public access, most of the collection is now digitized. The museum’s active public programming aims to encourage young visitors and school groups to explore, learn and discuss the literature and book culture in the Czech lands.

JABLONEC NAD NISOU, CZECH REPUBLIC

MUSEUM OF GLASS AND JEWELLERY

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The Museum of Glass and Jewellery is located in the city centre of Jablonec nad Nisou – a city with a longstanding tradition of costume jewellery and beads production. The museum has been active nationally starting in 1961 with a collection of costume jewellery and adding the field of glass to the collection since 1974. The main building was extended in the shape of glass crystal adding to the uniqueness of the museum. Emphasising the Czech Republic’s history of glassmaking from the scientific process to production, the museum showcases jewellery and coinage but is known for housing the world’s largest Christmas Decoration collection. Ongoing collaborations with the Society of Friends of the Museum as well as local and International glassmakers, vocational schools, designers and jewellers, ensure the collection includes contemporary glass creators. An outreach programme of activities broadens the region’s interest in local museums and galleries.

PARDUBICE, CZECH REPUBLIC

ZÁMEČEK MEMORIAL

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The Zámeček Memorial Pardubice exhibition centre was built on the memorial site of the former Nazi execution ground in the outskirts of Pardubice, Czech Republic. Between 3rd June and 9thJuly 1942, during the Heydrich terror, 194 people were executed by Nazi soldiers. The exhibition centre was constructed underground so as not to overshadow the monument commemorating the massacre erected in 1949, but to tell stories of the people who were tragically executed. The building serves as a powerful architectural memorial of the tragedy and was designed to contribute to the overall visitor experience using raw materials made of concrete and steel and resembling a cast. To enter, visitors must descend underground via a ramp. The exhibition explores the tragedy of 1942 and links are made to other pre-war and war contexts nationally and internationally. The museum’s educational programmes include lectures and other activities that connect past historical events with today’s political and social issues and conflicts.

OKSBØL, DENMARK

FLUGT – REFUGEE MUSEUM OF DENMARK

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The Refugee Museum of Denmark is the first museum in the world dedicated to refugee stories and it opened in 2022 in Oksbøl in the municipality of Varde. The museum housed in an old hospital was the largest refugee camp ever built in Denmark. The camp hosted people fleeing persecution and seeking sanctuary at the end of Second World War. FLUGT is a museum that explores the history of 100 years of the universal stories of people on the run; people with different cultural and religious backgrounds but with a shared human story to seek sanctuary and a safe home. Personal stories are brought to life using soundscapes, animation, archival films and personal interviews. Stories from Vietnam, Hungary, Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine connect the past to the present. An immersive audio tour in the nearby forest enables visitors to reflect on the experience of the refugees hosted in the camp in 1945. A programme of workshops, education and other activities support the museum’s aim to counter the narrative from statistics to people.

TARTU, ESTONIA

ESTONIAN SPORTS AND OLYMPIC MUSEUM

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In 2020, the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum reopened after a five-month extensive renovation of the 19th century postal office building in the city centre of Tartu. The museum is considered the largest sports museum in the Baltics and Northern Europe, with exhibitions focussing on Estonian achievements in sports over the centuries together with sports achievements during the communist era, the breakthrough year of 1991, and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The museum aims to foster an engaging, interactive and entertaining experience of sports history and culture. Visitors enjoy various activities including driving a rally simulator or testing reaction speed on a reaction wall. The museum opts to be up-to-date and follows Estonian athletes’ achievements. Educational programs for school groups place great importance on well-being and mental health, encouraging young people to be more active and choose healthier lifestyles.

TALLINN, ESTONIA

KALAMAJA MUSEUM

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The newest branch of the Tallinn City Museum in the heart of the old Kalamaja district, the Kalamaja Museum, is a participatory museum co-created by and managed with the local community. Its permanent exhibition, A Village in the Middle of the City, explores the history of Kalamaja by presenting the stories of six personas selected by current and former residents of the suburb through surveys conducted by museum staff and collaborating ethnologists. These are a man of Kalamaja, a child of Kalamaja, a parent of Kalamaja, a life artist of Kalamaja and an animal of Kalamaja. Together, the characters embody different times and eras and tell the story from the Middle Ages to today. A community-driven museum, residents and visitors are encouraged to participate in or initiate new events, exhibitions, tours, and events. The museum also provides urban projects that encourage visitors to explore the neighbourhood independently.

TURKU, FINLAND

LUOSTARINMÄKI MUSEUM QUARTER

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Luostarinmäki is the largest district of wooden houses that survived Turku’s Great Fire of 1827 and a unique example of Nordic and European built heritage. The Luostarinmäki Museum Quarter, formerly the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum, was inaugurated in 2022 after extensive renovation and redevelopment. It tells the stories of the people who used to live there – their lives and homes from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The open-air museum consists of 14 houses with 60 interiors and five themed exhibitions. With the houses furnished as craftsmens’ houses and workshops representing over 30 different trades, the museum explores industrial urban craftsmanship with Luostarinmäki serving as an example of a close-knit community, with scarce resources, and resilience in challenging times. During the summer, local craftsmen present their ways of working, of making and repairing items cherished and used. There are opportunities for visitors to learn about old skills and traditions while contemplating a more sustainable way of living today.

INARI, FINLAND

SÁMI MUSEUM SIIDA

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The Sámi Museum Siida is the national museum of the Sámi people of Finland, the only recognized Indigenous culture in Europe. It is the only museum in Finland to actively collect Sámi cultural heritage by preserving, safeguarding, and presenting Sámi tangible and intangible cultural heritage and conducting collections-based research. The museum, founded in 1959 and housed in its own building since 1998, was fully refurbished and reopened in 2022 to include renovated public spaces and a nature centre. The new museum has been created for, by and with the Sámi communities as a safe place to collect Sámi heritage and to bring it front and centre in a contemporary cultural dialogue. The museum is also the result of repatriation, or rematriation, of Sámi material culture from the Finnish National Museum to Siida after years of negotiations and debates. Around 2200 items were repatriated in the early 2020s and the new building was designed to preserve the collection and make it accessible for locals and International visitors. Nearly 300 Sámi participated in the repatriation process, with many informants from the Sámi community and volunteers having participated in helping the elder members of the community and facilitating their participation.

MARTINIQUE, FRANCE

MEMORIAL OF THE 1902 CATASTROPHE | FRANK A. PERRET MUSEUM

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The Memorial of 1902 I Musee Frank A. Perret recounts life in the town of Saint Pierre before, during, and after the explosion of Mount Pelée on 8 May 1902. Originally a scientific museum dealing with volcanology and the historic significance of its founder, volcanologist Frank A. Perret, Memorial of the 1902 Catastrophe was recently added to highlight the museum’s new focus on a cultural approach to the catastrophe and to recall the disaster experienced by the people of Martinique and its worldwide repercussions. Objects rescued from the ashes of the volcano, including catastrophe souvenirs taken by tourists, are exhibited alongside stories of survivors of the tragedy. At the heart of the Memorial also stands a list of the names of the 7045 victims of the 1902 eruptions so far identified, found mainly during recent archival searches that brought together several partners, including the Martinique Research Association on Family Histories. This makes this museum a particularly moving place to rethink the relationship between place, nature, and how generations work through difficult events.

GÖTTINGEN, GERMANY

FORUM WISSEN

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Forum Wissen is an exchange and meeting place for science and the public. It is an open space for discovery and collective learning that makes University of Göttingen’s scientific collections accessible – from archaeology to zoology, from astrophysical instruments to the living cell cultures of the algae. Exhibitions centre on knowledge creation, offering opportunities for visitors to understand the relevance of academic collections, develop their critical thinking, and participate in discussions of ongoing research. Through twelve exhibition galleries, visitors immerse themselves into the methods, preconditions, places, and objects related to the history of ideas and scientific enquiry. Guided tours and outreach events enable greater links between science and society by allowing the public to get better acquainted with the university’s scientific projects. The Forum organizes a range of cultural partnerships with different institutions, communities, and associations of the city of Göttingen, that reach new and different audiences. Special exhibitions are also developed in collaboration between scientists and students from the university and other communities and groups interested in science and knowledge development.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY

JEWISH MUSEUM

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The Jewish Museum Frankfurt reopened its doors in 2020 after five years of major renovations. The museum complex, which includes the Museum Judengasse, presents the diversity and history of Jewish culture. It collects, preserves, and researches cultural heritage and testimonies of past and present Jewish life. Its permanent exhibition, We Are Now, presents modern Jewish life in Europe and offers an exploration of the major historical events and conflicts, religious traditions in the modern age, and three notable Frankfurt families. The museum’s education programmes and digital tools enable an experimental discovery of the collections and narratives. The buildings themselves –namely the Rothschild Palais
– also constitute sites of European Jewish Heritage which the renovation project has made more accessible and an integral part of the visitor experience. The museum’s renovated spaces include temporary exhibitions, a public library, a multi-functional room for events and workshops, the first vegan kosher deli in a Jewish Museum in Germany, and a museum shop focussing on Jewish literature and fine Judaica.

METTMANN, GERMANY

NEANDERTHAL MUSEUM-HÖHLENBLICK TOWER

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The Neanderthal –Neander Valley– and its museum form a special memorial landscape: it is where the first Neanderthal was found that lends its name to all other finds. It is from the Neandertal that the groundbreaking idea that humans evolved from predecessor species was put forward. The museum offers visitors of all backgrounds and ages insights into the history of the human species. It preserves, presents, and communicates the history of human evolution and makes this shared cultural heritage accessible to all. Seeing the Neanderthal site as a place of shared identity, the museum recently built the Höhlenblick Tower, or Cave View. The 22-meter-high open steel frame offers a rediscovery of the Feldhofer Cave which was destroyed by limestone quarry works in the 19th century. On the upper platform, visitors stand at the site of the destroyed cave and can discover the Ice Age landscape through virtual telescopes.

CHANIA, GREECE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF CHANIA

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The Archaeological Museum of Chania opened its doors in 2022 in the upscale and historic suburb of Halepa. Previously housed in the Franciscan Monastery of Agios Fragkiskos, the old Venetian area of Chania, the museum took on the challenge of settling into an area off the tourist path where quiet residential cottages and small apartment buildings blend with embassies and old mansions of wealthy merchants. The new state-of-the-art building was designed to accommodate current and future population growth and become both a central part of the local (and international) community and a hub for academic research and conservation.

With over 4000 objects on display, the permanent exhibition covers the archaeology of Chania, from early prehistoric human occupations to the end of the Roman era (roughly 4th century AD). The permanent exhibition continues on the first floor with the gallery of the Konstantinos, Marika, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis Collection–, which was donated to the museum in the 2000s.

The museum aims to be a place for inspiration, reflection, and enjoyment, with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, well-being, and sustainability.

MESSOLONGHI, GREECE

SALT MUSEUM

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The Salt Museum opened in 2020 in the heart of the salines of Messolonghi, a protected natural ecosystem rich in birdlife and of central cultural and financial importance. Sea salt has been harvested in the Messolonghi Lagoon since at least the 14th century using a method that has existed since antiquity. The region is one of Greece’s most important salt producers. The museum was created as an extension of Diexodos, a cultural centre focussing on the history and cultural heritage of Messolonghi. The museum is housed in an old dormitory for salt workers on Tourlida, an islet in the lagoon, and is aimed at telling the story of salt and its production in the region, preserving and recovering traditional skills, and promoting ecotourism – it shows how Salt has had a tremendous impact on human activity including language, art, work, history, and the environment. The museum hosts a variety of educational and cultural activities to bring together the Messolonghi community and foster a shared sense of environmental sustainability.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

HUNGARIAN MONEY MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTRE

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The Hungarian Money Museum was established by the Central Bank of Hungary to raise the level of public understanding and interest in financial culture. Using a scientific approach, it collects and preserves domestic numismatic heritage, along with objects, documents, and photographs related to banking history. The permanent exhibition, The Path of Money, presents the numismatic collection of the Central Bank of Hungary, which complements the national and international institutional network of public collections. The museum aims to show how anyone can understand how money works and become more conscious of financial decisions. The exhibition tells the story of how money has emerged through history and evolved up to the present – with some glimpses of the future of money through green finances and digital national banks and cryptocurrencies. The museum offers children and adults alike an interactive gamification experience with a focus on education.

MERANO, ITALY

VILLA FREISCHÜTZ: THE HOUSE MUSEUM

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Built in 1909, Villa Freischütz is a fine example of a home in the picturesque spa town of Merano in South Tyrol, Italy. Now a historic house museum, it offers an immersive journey into the lives and art collection of its former residents. The century-old villa’s high-ceiling rooms, magnificent terrazzo floors, Asian wallpapers, and eclectic furnishings are a testament to its history and style. stepping into a time-travel machine, the museum’s warm and inviting atmosphere makes visitors feel like esteemed guests of the villa instead of museum-goers. The permanent exhibition tells the story of the successes of the former residents but also delves into their fears and struggles. Alongside the art collections and the lifestyle of a family from a century ago, the museum aspires to present the story of South Tyrol after its annexation to Italy following First World War. Given the lasting impact of this historical decision on the local community and beyond, the exhibition explores themes of language, identity, and belonging.

PADOVA, ITALY

GIOVANNI POLENI MUSEUM

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Giovanni Poleni Museum, formerly the Museum of the History of Physics of the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Padua, reopened to the public in 2021 after undergoing major refurbishment. With a focus on the history of science, and a particular emphasis on physics, the permanent exhibition, A History of Physics Between Padua and the World, offers visitors a journey through time, from the evolution of physics and Giovanni Poleni’s physics cabinet’s inception in 1739 to contemporary research in the field. Visitors gain an insight into the enduring advancement of science and technology from the Renaissance to today. The museum’s projects and educational programmes aim to illuminate the intricate nature of scientific practices and the interdisciplinary essence of knowledge. The museum explores how scientific progress is deeply intertwined with the broader socio-political and economic contexts, providing a multifaceted and captivating outlook on the realm of science.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

ARTIS-GROOTE MUSEUM

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In 1855, the Amsterdam Zoological Society Natura Artis Magistra (est. 1838) opened a museum for its collection of inanimate objects, which was later closed to the public in 1947. The ARTIS-Groote Museum was (re)opened in May 2022 following extensive renovation. ARTIS embraces all forms of life: its 13.5 hectares in the heart of Amsterdam include zoological and botanical gardens focussing on education and conservation, a Planetarium (1988), the world’s first ‘Microzoo’ Micropia (2014), and now, the new Groote Museum. The exhibition offers a spatial dialogue between the monumental building and the disciplines of art, science, and philosophy. Traditional taxidermy is combined with interactive installations, artworks, soundscapes, and film projections. Visitors are taken on a tour of the museum providing an emotional and introspective exploration of their relationship to nature.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

DUTCH RESISTANCE MUSEUM

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The Dutch Resistance Museum was set up by former members of the 1984 resistance movement in effort to promote knowledge of and resistance to dictatorship, war, antisemitism, racial discrimination, and persecution during the Second World War. It is housed in the Plancius Building, formerly the Jewish Choral Society, and later converted into a taxi garage before being used by the Germans during the war. The museum aims to provide visitors with insight into the enduring value of tolerance, the rule of law, and democracy. It holds a large collection of historical materials. The permanent exhibition covers the Dutch population who were faced with unexpected choices and dilemmas due to the loss of national independence and democratic law. A separate section of the museum tells the experiences of the population in the former Dutch colonies. The museum also organizes temporary exhibitions, lecture series, symposia and workshops that connect the Occupation period with contemporary societal challenges.

HILVERSUM, NETHERLANDS

MEDIA MUSEUM (SOUND & VISION)

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Sound & Vision and its Media Museum are situated in a colourful building in Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. The building is used for different functions: to house one of the largest digitized media archives in the world – which includes everything from radio and television programmes, to video (games), written press, political cartoons, gifs, and websites; to offer a public-oriented information centre and a reference for professionals. The museum aims to be an attractive museum for people interested in media. The museum maps the Dutch media landscape and offers the opportunity to study its development using a media-historical perspective. In the museum, visitors can learn about how media has become a central part of our daily lives. This is presented in five interactive zones that focus on universal human needs: Share, Inform, Sell, Tell, and Play. To appeal to all age groups, the museum visit is meant to be personal – one that reflects the individual way people interact with media.

WAALWIJK, NETHERLANDS

SHOE QUARTER

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Shoes are part of everyone’s identity, which can also lead to revealing multifaceted stories. This is how the Shoe Quarter understands its role as a museum that centres on the local shoe industry – one that is community-driven and collaborative. As a workshop, study centre and laboratory, the museum aims to occupy a special position in the cultural landscape of the region, linking the history and heritage of leather production and the shoe industry with that of fashion and design. While the leather and shoe industries have had an image of being activities that pollute, the museum also seeks to be a hub for thinking about sustainable alternatives. The various design and manufacturing labs offer space for designers, educational institutions, and the wider business community to experiment with new circular techniques. Visitors are invited to think about their footwear – where it comes from and how it can be produced in a way that is sustainable and eco-friendly. More than a place for learning about the region’s history of shoe production, the Shoe Quarter seeks to foster participation and awareness.

OSLO, NORWAY

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ART, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

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The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design holds Norway’s largest public art collection. The museum was established between 2003 and 2005 following the merger of the National Gallery (est. 1836), the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (est. 1876), the Museum of Architecture (est. 1976), the Museum of Contemporary Art (est. 1990), and the state programme for travelling exhibitions, Riksutstillinger (est. 1953). The National Museum’s other venues include the National Museum – Architecture, which presents temporary exhibitions, and the Villa Stenersen, one of the foremost examples of early modernist architecture in Norway. The new museum building opened in June 2022, offering 13 000 square metres and more than 90 rooms for exhibitions. It is considered the largest art museum in the Nordic region. Already in its first year, the museum counted 1,5 million visitors. The museum critically engages with the very nature of what “national” means. A central tenet to its curatorial approach is to reflexively investigate and challenge the very canon which it has historically contributed to establish, to fragment its narrative, and to interweave the many cultural threads lost to art historical and visual-national memory.

PŁOCK, POLAND

MAZOVIAN MUSEUM

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The new exhibition at the Mazovian Museum is the largest permanent exhibition devoted to Art Deco in Poland. On display is a large selection of Polish variations of the Art Deco style – from residential interiors to glass, ceramics, textiles, lamps, paintings and sculptures. Presented against a background of international pieces from Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, and the United States. Arranged on two floors with a total of 1000m2, the exhibition includes multimedia content and large panels with illustrations of architecture and fashion covering several thousand sources and technological tools including a gesture-based interface in the form of a mirror so visitors can “try on” pieces of clothing from the museum’s collection and see what they look like. The museum aims to be a regional hub for the promotion and engagement of artistic and cultural practices in the visual arts and design. As a national institution and keeper of the Art Deco collections, it has the mandate to make the collections available for educational and scientific purposes.

WŁODAWA, POLAND

MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL IN SOBIBÓR – GERMAN NAZI EXTERMINATION CAMP (1942-1943) – DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE MUSEUM AT MAJDANEK

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The Museum and Memorial in Sobibór commemorates the Jewish women, children, and men who were murdered in the German Nazi extermination camp that operated there between the spring of 1942 and December 1943. It safeguards and restores the former campgrounds, including its mass graves, documents the history of the camp, and records the memory of the victims deported from various European countries during the Second World War.The permanent exhibition retraces the crimes of the Holocaust perpetrated in Sobibór by displaying the personal belongings of the murdered deportees alongside documents and photographs, the memorial restores the identity of the people and restores their humanity. The exhibition also emphasises the prisoners’ uprising on 14th October 1943, which is of notable significance to the history of the camp and broader memory of the Holocaust. The motto of the museum today is the words of one of the revolt leaders: “Let the world know what happened here.”

WROCŁAW, POLAND

MUSEUM OF THE “PANORAMA OF THE BATTLE OF RACŁAWICE”, BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IN WROCŁAW

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The Panorama of the Battle of Racławice is at once the largest painting in Poland, the only Polish panorama, and one of few such panoramas of existence in Europe. It is a testament to a visual genre in art history – the application of a panoramic perspective, lightning, and scenography to make a scene look multi-dimensional. The painting presents the Battle of Racławice in April 1794, in which Poles won against the Russians. It is a testimony to Europe’s turbulent past, and through the figure of the commander of the battle depicted in the painting – Tadeusz Kościuszko – it evokes universal human values such as the pursuit of national and individual freedoms and the need to value the excluded and underprivileged social groups. The museum, which is the newest branch of the National Museum in Wroclaw, aims to create awareness of the history of Europe by providing reliable and contextual knowledge on the Panorama, in an informative yet accessible way.

LUBLIN, POLAND

NATIONAL MUSEUM IN LUBLIN, POLAND

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Located in the old castle, the National Museum in Lublin is one of the largest and oldest museums in Eastern Poland. As part of a group of nine museum branches, it was established in 1906, and until 2020, served as a regional museum. Its large collections include archaeological and numismatic artefacts, weapons and armaments, folk art, decorative art, Polish and European paintings, sculptures, documents, and manuscripts. Due to the diversity of its collections and their importance to Polish culture, it was raised to the rank of a national museum. After extensive reconstruction and modernization of the castle, the exhibition spaces were updated and significantly improved to enhance visitor and staff r well-being. The museum aims to foster an understanding of the historical events that took place in the region and the influences from the East, West, and Jewish cultures. In efforts to bridge past and present, new spaces for temporary exhibitions, educational programmes and events were created supporting the museum’s aim at combining tradition with contemporary,, with an emphasis on the unique location of Lublin as the meeting point between the cultures of Western and Eastern Europe.

BIAŁYSTOK, POLAND

SYBIR MEMORIAL MUSEUM

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The Sybir Memorial Museum opened in 2021 in Bialystok, near the border with Belarus. It tells the story of successive deportations of people from Poland to Siberia, northern Russia and Kazakhstan during the Soviet occupation and the division of Poland in the period 1940-41, the deportation of Jewish people to extermination camps during the Nazi regime, and deportations from Poland during the communist period of the Soviet Union after the Second World War until 1952. The museum balances a museum for the history that Poles associate with Siberia and a memorial for the last survivors of deportations and their relatives. It addresses an important moment in European history and more broadly deportation and transgenerational memories of struggle. It stands on the original site of the Poleski Railway Station. Bialystok was assigned to the Soviet sphere in the German-Soviet division of Poland (secret protocol of the Molotov-Rippentrop Pact of 1939) and became part of the Belarusian Soviet Republic after the Soviet annexation. The museum aims to play a community-building role in gathering the memories of individual experiences and testimonies from witnesses to history.

COVILHÃ, PORTUGAL

COVILHÃ MUSEUM

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Housed in an Art Nouveau building by Ernesto Korrodi, formerly the headquarters of Banco Nacional Ultramarino, the Covilhã Museum presents the county’s extensive and diverse heritage. Displayed over four floors, the museum’s exhibitions present a historical and ethnographic overview of the occupation periods of the territory, including the way of life of its people, past and present. More than a history museum, it aims to be a place that bridges the city, its social life, and the future of the region by encouraging visitors to reflect on current challenges and possibilities for the region’s development. Visitors get to know more about life in the city, the neighbourhoods, and the broader region. The museum also offers many projects throughout the city and the region to increase accessibility and public outreach. Active collaborations are also maintained with local associations, politicians, and cultural groups and its new multipurpose room is offered to local associations and individuals carrying out cultural activities related to the scope of the museum.

LISBON, PORTUGAL

RUA DOS CORREEIROS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE-NARC

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The Archaeological Site Rua dos Correiros can be visited in the basement of the headquarters of Millenium bcp Bank, in Lisbon, where the site was discovered during renovation works that led to archaeological excavations between 1991 and 1995. Its recently refurbished exhibition space offers a multisensorial discovery from the Iron Age until today. The displays are filled with archaeological finds connecting the objects with people, past and present. The visitor experience focuses on a multisensory discovery of the site, using holograms, lighting, and sounds, along with personalised guided tours that bring to life the human stories of the people who worked and migrated to the area making connections between the archaeological site, migration and history. Visitors also learn a great deal about the city of Lisbon, past and present. The Millennium bcp Foundation actively sponsors archaeological research and the archaeological site serves as a hub to develop scientific events, public talks, conferences, educational outreach, and research.

LISBON, PORTUGAL

ROYAL TREASURE MUSEUM

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The Royal Treasure Museum is located in the new west wing of the Ajuda National Palace. The only publicly accessible royal palace in Lisbon, the museum hosts a permanent exhibition of the jewels belonging to the Portuguese crown. The museum displays the fine jewellery used in civil and religious ceremonies, together with the largest 18th-century European Royal tableware. The exhibition hall – one of the largest safe boxes in the world – is distributed across three floors and separated by two five-ton doors. Eleven different sections present a large selection of the museum’s collection of goldsmithery, jewellery, textiles, paintings, tableware, and furnishing. These include samples of raw metals, precious stones, coins, and medals of the Crown, jewels of the Royal Treasure, insignia of the honorific Orders of Knighthood and Orders of Merit, royal sceptres, mantles, and crowns, and Military Orders of Christ, Avis, and Santiago. Accessibility in the new museum has been enhanced using a blend of artefacts with video projections and holograms, thus ensuring a scenic and diversified visitor experience.

EL VENDRELL, SPAIN

PAU CASALS MUSEUM

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The Pau Casals Museum is housed in Villa Casals, located in front of Sant Salvador beach, in the municipality of El Vendrell, Catalunya, Spain. It is the former summer house of Pablo Casals, a cellist, conductor, and composer, and one of the most influential musicians of the 20 th century. Casals lived in the Villa before fleeing to Prades, France, following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s victory in 1939. In 1972, Casals and his wife, Marta Montañez, created the Pau Casals Foundation to preserve the Villa and its collection. The Villa opened to the public in 1974, a year after Casals’s passing. In 2022, the museum opened following extensive renovations and by placing front and centre Casals’s commitment and advocacy for peace, justice, and freedom. The museum highlights his use of music for peace and his stance against Francoism and dictatorships leading him to support world governance and led him to be invited to the United Nations on three occasions. His work towards Peace earned him, among others, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United Nations Medal of Peace, and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

LINKÖPING, SWEDEN

MUSEUM OF ÖSTERGÖTLAND

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The Museum of Östergötland –or East Gothaland– is located in the Swedish town of Linköping, in the historic province of Östergötland. It is housed in a 1939 functionalist-style building designed by architects Helge Zimdahl and Nils Ahrbom. The museum holds a large collection of Swedish as well as a collection of international art. There are archaeological and ethnological pieces, including a selection from Egypt, Persia, China, and Japan. In 2022, the museum reopened after substantial renovation and a multi-year community consultation and audience research which allowed it to adjust its content and programming according to public interest. Now a meeting place for the community and the city, the museum aims to be an arena for today’s societal issues and challenges. New learning spaces were added including a cultural-historical exhibition, titled “The Journey Here”. This exhibition explores Östergötland and its landscape from the present day and takes visitors back 11 000 years in time. Displaying European art the exhibition presents the realities of how people portray themselves, views on others, as well as their surroundings. A dedicated area for children invites them to discover art through play. The museum has a range of facilities including a restaurant, conference rooms, and an assembly hall for concerts and lectures.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

VRAK – MUSEUM OF WRECKS

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VRAK was opened in the Djurgården area of Stockholm in 2022 as a new maritime museum part of the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums (SMT). It is the sister museum of the popular Vasa Museet, Stockholm’s most visited tourist attraction dedicated to the Vasa, a Swedish warship that sank in 1628 on its maiden voyage and recovered in the 1950s. It is the best-preserved warship from the 17th century to date. While the Vasa museum focuses on the history of the Vasa and its cultural and political significance, VRAK explores maritime archaeology and the vast cultural heritage that lies beneath the Baltic Sea after centuries of shipwrecks. Focussing on the Baltic Sea allows the museum to engage in broader discussions about international relations, diplomacy, and sustainability. A distinguishing feature of the new museum is its aim to offer visitors an immersive underwater exploration experience. This strategic choice is about creating awareness that this type of cultural heritage is best preserved by being kept underwater.

BURGDORF, SWITZERLAND

BURGDORF CASTLE MUSEUM

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Burgdorf Castle is an 800-year-old iconic landmark of both the city and the region of Burgdorf. It was built by the Zähringens and is a unique historical artifact and a monument of national significance. Together with a youth hostel and restaurant built into the ancient castle walls, the museum tells the story of the castle, the region, and its global context through a renewed multimedia visitor experience – visitors of the castle learn how the Zähringen people lived 800 years ago, and in passing see the largest Egyptian sarcophagus exhibited in Switzerland. Following extensive renovations between 2017 and 2020, the Burgdorf Castle Museum gathers three previously separate collections – the historic collection of the association of the Knight’s Hall, the ethnological collection, and the gold room. Now part of a single museum, the collections offer new narratives on present-day social issues such as power, migration, and gender. The restaurant, youth hostel, and museum are also now aligned on a joint mission and vision for the castle to work towards social, ecological, and economic sustainability.

NEUCHÂTEL, SWITZERLAND

CENTRE DÜRRENMATT NEUCHÂTEL (CDN)

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The Center Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel -or CDN- is an art museum dedicated to the visual work of Swiss author and dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990). The museum is part of the Swiss National Library, where Dürrenmatt’s works are kept. CDN also includes the house where Dürrenmatt and his family lived from 1952 until his death. The house has kept his library and the washroom has been painted in a fresco-like fashion, ironically naming it the Sistine Chapel. The house was redesigned into a museum created by internationally renowned architect Botta. It is located in the green setting of the Vallon de l’Ermitage, above the town of Neuchâtel. The museum presents a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions and events, guided tours, workshops for schools, publications, a podcast, and virtual tours. A second house next door was also open to the public, which was mainly used as an office but later became the main residence of Dürrenmatt.

GRAND LANCY, SWITZERLAND

VILLA BERNASCONI

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Villa Bernasconi is a centre for contemporary art based in an 1826 mansion in Lancy. It is located on a hill surrounded by a park on the banks of the Aire. It organises three temporary exhibitions each year, two on contemporary art and another using illustrations from children’s books. Its programming aims to be accessible to audiences of all ages and offers a wide selection of events related to its exhibitions – from conferences and readings to performances, dances, and concerts. It also regularly partners with the main festivals in Geneva. Once or twice per year, the Villa Bernasconi organises weekends entirely dedicated to performance. The centre is also responsible for the art collection of the City of Lancy. All events are free of charge to make them accessible to all members of the community. Parts of the collection include paintings, drawings, photographs, and prints, displayed in several offices of the municipal administration and the town hall. Another part of the collection is shown in public spaces throughout the city, including in parks and special buildings.

WETTINGEN, SWITZERLAND

WETTINGEN ABBEY, MUSEUM AARGAU

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Built in 1227 in the Green Valley, near river Limmat, Wettingen Abbey is Switzerland’s best-preserved Cistercian abbey. Formerly used as a school since 1843, it was transformed into a museum in 2022 as a place for culture, education, history, and hospitality. “School Creates Museum” is one of the main projects where students are invited to participate proactively in the exhibition content. The collaborative process enables students to develop new skills and collectively build a shared understanding of history and present-day challenges. The museum includes an evolving display with interactive personal mediation on the topics of faith, power, and knowledge. The students act as hosts for the visitors to encourage them to participate in discussions about central human questions such as: “Where do I come from? Why do we love?” The educational aspect is present throughout the abbey’s grounds with interactive programmes. All this within the monument, the richly decorated church, the cloister with its precious stained glass windows, and the abbey gardens – a cultural asset of international standing.

ISTANBUL, TÜRKIYE

ISTANBUL CINEMA MUSEUM

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After two years of building restoration, the Istanbul Cinema Museum opened in 2021 in Istanbul’s vibrant Beyoglu district. The museum provides a place where art, culture and entertainment are displayed over three floors keeping the history of Turkish cinema alive for generations. The building includes Frescoes by French artist Hippolyte Dominique Berteaux with the most eye-catching one titled Water, Air, Earth, and Fire. Visitors can have fun with the interactive displays including stepping inside as a cast member of some of Türkiye’s famous films. The historical collections on display educate the visitors on early filmmakers and include a breadth of memorabilia from the Turkish film world. A programme of events is on all year round for students and film lovers of all generations. Istanbul Cinema Museum is the first museum to use a digital memory and offers a wide data repository, providing insight into plenty of actors, directors, scenarists, producers, and other cinema workers.

KYIV, UKRAINE

BOHDAN AND VARVARA KHANENKO NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARTS

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Established in 1919, the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts boasts the largest collection of European, Asian, and Ancient art in Ukraine. Comprising approximately 20 000 works generously donated by the private art collectors, Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko, the collection is supplemented by subsequent acquisitions. Occupying a historic building, formerly the Khanenko residence, the museum intertwines its exhibits with the narrative of its architectural heritage. In response to the ongoing war, the museum has taken measures to safeguard its collection from destruction and theft. Purposefully left empty, the rooms and exhibition cabinets stand as poignant reminders of the conflict’s toll and the societal upheaval it engenders. Through various projects, programmes, and activities, the museum endeavours to redefine its role while preserving the essence of its collection and the historical significance of its premises. Meanwhile, the museum initiates projects within its courtyard to engage locals and migrants from regions affected by destruction and occupation, aiming to alleviate their fears. Additionally, it curates temporary exhibitions of contemporary art to foster dialogue with local artists and creators, alongside educational programs designed to promote empathy and tolerance.

KYIV, UKRAINE

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF UKRAINE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR – THE MEMORIAL COMPLEX

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The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Second World War is a memorial complex located on the picturesque hills of the right bank of the Dnipro River, in the southern outskirts of the Pechersk district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It ranks among Ukraine’s largest museums. Since March 2022, the museum’s mission has dynamically evolved to document the ongoing conflict in Ukraine through meticulous collection, preservation, and exhibition of war-related narratives and artefacts. Within its recently renovated exhibition spaces, visitors encounter a series of displays, with the exhibition Ukraine-Crucifixion as a centrepiece. It comprises nearly 2000 items gathered from the regions of Kyiv and Chernihiv and offers a glimpse into the harsh realities of active warfare. The museum’s thematic focus transcends the historical documentation to unravel the complexities underlying the genesis of wars. By acknowledging the lessons learned from the past and the pressing challenges of the present, it advocates for a more harmonious and peaceful future.

GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM

THE BURRELL COLLECTION

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The Burrell Collection is a museum of fine and decorative arts. It is most notably home to the most significant collection of Chinese art in the UK, along with mediaeval treasures such as stained glass, tapestries, and paintings by renowned French artists including Manet, Cezanne, and Degas. The museum also holds rare works of Islamic art and paintings by the Old Masters. The collection was gifted to the city of Glasgow by Sir William and Lady Constance Burrell in 1944. The museum was opened in Pollok Country Park in 1983 in a building that has been a symbol of 20th-century architecture. The museum underwent significant refurbishment between 2016 and 2022 intending to be the most accessible and inclusive fine and decorative arts museum in the world by celebrating diversity and contemporary relevance through our rich and varied historic collections. This is done by simultaneously aiming at being a local museum that supports its citizens and an internationally significant fine and decorative arts museum that is recognized for its collections and approach.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

MUSEUM OF THE HOME

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The Museum of the Home records and rethinks ways of living to foster new conversations about how to live better lives with others. Following recent renovations and extensions to the previous building, including a public garden, the museum has shifted its focus from a chronological discovery of everyday objects to telling stories about the idea of a house, and of a general sense of home. Home is universally relevant but deeply personal, therefore everyone should be able to relate to the content in the museum, including the physical and digital spaces. Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the home became an even greater tenet of the museum, with collections and educational programmes addressing key challenges for society that include food traditions, building a shared understanding of food inequality and living together in challenging times. Social isolation is another key tenet of the museum. Its Free Tea Friday programme is a weekly opportunity for residents to drop in and connect with others.

DERBY, UNITED KINGDOM

MUSEUM OF MAKING

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The Museum of Making is based on the site of what is recognised as the world’s first modern factory – today the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site. It celebrates Derby’s 300 years of innovation and manufacturing and aims to inspire new creative ideas. The museum’s collections comprise objects and archives that chart the progress of Derby’s ongoing manufacturing history and the people who were involved in these industries. Created and designed with and by Derby professionals, the museum has something for a wide range of audiences. There is a varied programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and hands-on activities. The museum aims to be a place for creativity, acquiring of new skills, experimentation, and cooperation. While celebrating past manufacturers, the museum also seems to inspire future makers through its comprehensive learning and participation programmes and fully equipped workshops and studio spaces. The Museum of Making supports STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) and creates awareness among younger groups about engineering.