The Museum Centre Vapriikki’s exhibition on Finnish civil war in Tampere, Tampere 1918, has received a Special Commendation in the European Museum of the Year Award 2011 (EMYA) in Bremerhaven on the 21st May. The Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium, won the European Museum of the Year Award.
Vapriikki got the Special Commendation for developing an
unprecedented, courageous project going to the heart of a controversial
historic issue that has been a matter of discord in the Finnish society for
nearly a century. The judges noted: "The museum in Tampere has succeeded to
handle the memory of a difficult past with utmost tact and respect resulting in
reconciliation in the city community and wider society."
The European Museum of the Year Award is the most prestigious museum award in Europe. It stands for innovation, public quality and professional excellence in museums and brings together both professional reputation and public benefit under one umbrella.
Forty museums applied for the European Museum of the Year
Award 2011, which has been run by the European Museum Forum (EMF) since 1977.
EMF operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe and museums from all
47 member states can apply for the EMYA competition. Of the forty museums,
which applied for EMYA 2011, 34 were nominated by the EMYA Judging Panel for
consideration. Four Finnish museums were nominated (Maritime Centre Vellamo,
Police Museum, Mobilia, and Tampere 1918). Museums were primarily assessed on
their public quality, defined by EMF's founder Kenneth Hudson as "the extent to
which a museum satisfies the needs and wishes of its visitors".