PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY COUNCIL OF EUROPE MUSEUM PRIZE PRESENTATION CEREMONY Tuesday 15 April 2008, at 7.30 pm Palais Rohan Strasbourg PROGRAMME Speakers Mr Daniel Payot Deputy to the Mayor of Strasbourg, responsible for cultural policy Mr Yves le Tallec Departmental Councillor (Conseiller Général) of the Bas-Rhin Mr Hans Woodtli European Museum Forum Mr Lluís Maria de Puig President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Presentation of the 2008 Council of Europe Museum Prize to the Svalbard Museum, Longyearbyen, Norway Represented by: Dr Tora Hultgreen, Director of the Museum Mrs Gerd Johanne Valen, former Director of the Museum The European Museum Forum The European Museum Forum (EMF) operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe and: – organises the European Museum of the Year Award for newly-opened or substantially-restored museums, and makes recommendations for the Council of Europe Museum Prize; – publishes a brochure describing the entrants and winners of the European Museum of the Year Award; – organises a three-day conference to support the award ceremony; – provides international workshops lasting one week to raise the expertise of museum curators; – organises the Kenneth Hudson Lectures (named after the EMF’s founder and first director) on themes that are of particular importance for the museum world; – publishes a quarterly news bulletin; – offers a European museum consultancy service; – gives individuals, professional organisations and institutions the chance to become members of the European Forum Association and to receive all the publications produced by the forum as well as invitations to meetings in their own countries; – has an archive in Berlin at the Institut für Museumskunde which is accessible to researchers and contains information about every candidate which has entered the European Museum of the Year Award since 1977. The EMF: – is an independent, non-profit-making UK-registered charity that has developed from the European Museum of the Year Award scheme which was founded in 1977; – is committed to raising the standard of museums throughout Europe; – is a point of reference for the whole museum scene; – is an information centre with wide access; – organises meetings to increase experience and knowledge. Her Majesty Queen Fabiola of Belgium is Patron of the Forum. Sir Neil Cossons (former Chairman of English Heritage) acts as President. The Director is Mr Massimo Negri (Italy) and Chairman Dr Wim van der Weiden (Netherlands). Further documentation and application forms for the awards can be obtained from the EMF at the following addresses: Ann Nicholls Administrator The European Museum Forum PO Box 913 GB - Bristol BS99 5ST Telephone: +44 117 923 8897 Fax +44 117 973 2437 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.europeanmuseumforum.org/ or Secretariat of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe F - 67075 Strasbourg CEDEX Telephone: +33 (0)3 88 41 20 61 Fax: +33(0)3 88 41 27 97 The Council of Europe Museum Prize The aim of the prize is to encourage the contribution of museums to a greater understanding of the rich diversity of European culture. The prize is determined by the Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Culture, Science and Education on the basis of recommendations made by the European Museum Forum. It has been awarded to: Joan Mirò Foundation, Barcelona (Spain), 1977 Bryggen Museum, Bergen (Norway), 1978 Museum der Stadt Rüsselsheim (Germany), 1979 Monaghan County Museum (Republic of Ireland), 1980 Stockholm Music Museum (Sweden), 1981 Ålands Museum, Mariehamn (Finland), 1982 Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz (Austria), 1983 Musée Vivant du Canal du Centre, Thieu (Belgium), 1984 The Boat Museum, Ellesmere Port (United Kingdom), 1984 Heimatmuseum Neukölln, Berlin (Germany), 1987 Museo del Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Madrid (Spain), 1988 Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich (Germany), 1988 Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 1989 Museu da Água Manuel da Maia, Lisbon (Portugal), 1990 Deutsches Salzmuseum, Lüneburg (Germany), 1991 Museo delle valli d'Argenta, Argenta (Italy), 1992 Kobariški Muzej, Kobarid (Slovenia), 1993 Istanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri Müdürlügü, Istanbul (Turkey), 1993 Lapin Maakuntamuseo, Rovaniemi (Finland), 1994 Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn (Germany), 1995 Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst - MAK, Vienna (Austria), 1996 Kindermuseum, KIT Amsterdam (Netherlands), 1997 Krasnoyarsk Museum Centre (Russian Federation), 1998 Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille (France), 1999 In Flanders Fields, Ypres (Belgium), 2000 Teatterimuseo, Helsinki (Finland), 2001 Buddenbrookhaus, Lübeck (Germany), 2002 Laténium, Hauterive-Neuchâtel (Switzerland), 2003 Health Care Museum, Trakya University, Edirne (Turkey), 2004 Museum of Byzantine Culture, Thessaloniki, (Greece), 2005 Churchill Museum, London (United Kingdom), 2006 International Museum of the Reformation, Geneva (Switzerland), 2007 * * * The trophy is a bronze statuette La femme aux beaux seins by Joan Miró that was donated to the Council of Europe for this prize. It is accompanied by a diploma and a cheque. COUNCIL OF EUROPE MUSEUM PRIZE 2008 Svalbard Museum Longyearbyen, Norway The museum is located within the Svalbard Science Park on Spitzbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. It is the northernmost museum in Europe and the world. The exhibitions present Svalbard’s 400-year history and explain the factors which help support life and activities in the Arctic area and the close relationship between the land and sea, between natural and cultural history. The museum hopes that increased knowledge about nature and culture will have an effect on visitors’ behaviour in the landscape as well as on global climate. In 2008 the museum marks International Polar Year with a new exhibition and its aim is to become the national interdisciplinary polar museum of Norway. The jury was impressed by the dynamic and holistic approach of the museum, by its design and by its key message of environmental awareness. .