The museum in Vukovar has been nominated as one of the best European museums
The Vukovar City Museum has been nominated as one of 49 European museums from 24 countries for the prestigious European Museum of the Year award which will be announced on 9 April in San Sebastian in Spain, reports Večernji List on March 16, 2016.
“The nomination for this prestigious award is by itself a great achievement for the Vukovar museum since the award, which was established 39 years ago, has never been awarded to any Croatian museum. The nomination of the museum in Vukovar is a recognition for all of us who work at the museum and try to present in the best possible way the rich artistic and historical heritage of the city”, said Ruža Marić, director of the Vukovar City Museum.
Marić also spoke about the destruction of the museum and its holdings during the Homeland War, as well as about a multi-year process of renovation and restoration. The Vukovar City Museum was renovated after the war in a project worth 140 million kuna. Its permanent collection was officially opened on 23 January 2014, and it cost additional 14 million kuna. The permanent exhibition of the Vukovar City Museum covers about 3,000 square metres of floor area and presents the history of Vukovar and the surrounding region, which goes back more than 5,000 years.
The museum was initially proposed for this award in May last year. Marić explained that the right to submit their bids had those museums which had opened a permanent exhibition within the last two years and which met high standards set by the European Museum Forum.
“This is a great recognition for the Vukovar City Museum and the whole city of Vukovar. In this way, Vukovar has confirmed its importance in cultural and historical terms. We hope that this nomination will attract more tourists to our city”, said Mayor Ivan Penava.
