PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY COUNCIL OF EUROPE MUSEUM PRIZE PRESENTATION CEREMONY Tuesday 17 April 2007, at 8 pm Palais Rohan Strasbourg 2 PROGRAMME Speakers Mayor of Strasbourg Mr Mikhail Gnedovskiy European Museum Forum Mr René van der Linden President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Presentation of the 2007 Council of Europe Museum Prize to the International Museum of the Reformation, Geneva, Switzerland Represented by: Dr Isabelle Graesslé, Director of the Museum Prof. Olivier Fatio, Chairman of the International Museum of the Reformation Foundation 3 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. The President is Sir Neil Cossons (Chairman of English Heritage) and the Chairman is Wim van der Weiden. 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] 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 4 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 * * * 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. 5 COUNCIL OF EUROPE MUSEUM PRIZE 2007 International Museum of the Reformation, Geneva Switzerland The museum is housed in the ground floor and basement of Maison Mallet (1722), built by a member of a Huguenot family who found refuge in Geneva. It is on the site of the former cloisters of the Saint- Pierre Cathedral, the spot where the people of Geneva voted to adopt Reformation in 1536. The museum’s aims are to educate visitors about the foundations of the 16 th century Reformation, and also to recount the turbulent history of the men and women who found inspiration in its traditions. The themes of the display include the Bible, the work of Calvin, religious controversy with other Christian traditions, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Protestant resistance to fascism, missionary work and the role of women in the ministry. Especially daring is the museum’s effort to visualise some purely theological disputes such as an interactive display on the discussion of predestination. The museum is the first solely devoted to the subject of the Reformation in Europe. It is international both in its contents and the way it operates. This is also the first museum that has brought theological discourse into an exhibition in such a coherent manner. Although it is a religious museum dedicated to one particular branch of Christianity, it demonstrates a high degree of religious tolerance . 6 .