AMO in the European Museum of the Year 2008 competition was unsuccessful

Winning Kumu Art Museum from Tallinn

Without the main prize, on Sunday, May 18, the representative of the Archdiocesan Museum of Olomouc (AMO) returned from the Dublin final of the European Museum of the Year Award 2008. Although the only Czech representative did not rank among the winners of the prestigious poll in the competition of 70 institutions, the very participation in the culmination of the contest placed AMO among the European museum elite. The title was awarded to Kumu Art Museum from Tallinn, Estonia.
The European Museum of the Year Award has been announced by the Council of Europe since 1977. This year, about seventy museums and galleries competed for one of the awards. The winner was decided at the annual meeting of the European Museum Forum in Dublin, Ireland, from May 14 to 17. Only 35 institutions made it to the finals, including the Archdiocesan Museum of Olomouc. "The competition actually started for us last year. Our museum was visited by a commissioner who assessed primarily the services to the public. The Dublin final continued in the same spirit. The expert jury placed the greatest emphasis on the level of friendliness towards visitors, the range, quality, and friendliness of the offered services," said art historian Ondřej Jakubec, who represented AMO in Dublin.
Although AMO did not win the award, it was clear from conversations with the judges that the Olomouc museum stirred great sympathy, according to Jakubec. "Our exhibitions, accompanying events, and programs for children greatly interested them, and we were ranked among the top ten. Unfortunately, the holder of one of the three special awards - the Catharijneconvent Museum from Utrecht - has a similar focus as we do, so they probably did not want to award two institutions with similar programs," he added. However, as he pointed out, just participating in the final is an honor for AMO. "The certificate we received in Dublin explicitly recognizes the exceptional quality of the museum and the collections we represent," quoted the art historian.

Honorary recognition for Museo de Almería, Spain

According to him, the meeting took place in a very friendly atmosphere. "While I don't bring the main prize home, I am bringing something possibly even more important, which is contacts with thematically related museums," Jakubec noted, not ruling out cooperation with the award-winning Utrecht museum or colleagues from Slovenia.
The fact that AMO's participation in the Dublin final placed it among the European elite was also highlighted by Pavel Zatloukal, director of the Museum of Art Olomouc, which manages AMO. "Of course, we would have been very pleased with some of the main prizes, but we are still satisfied. Advancing to the finals is gratifying especially because the judges decided primarily based on the quality of services to the public, which is also an important criterion for our museum's success. Moreover, thanks to contacts with European leaders, we are gaining new experiences, inspiration, and direction for further improvement," Zatloukal assessed AMO's performance in the competition.
The Archdiocesan Museum of Olomouc, a joint project of the Museum of Art Olomouc, the Olomouc Archbishopric, and the Czech state, was opened in June 2006. The permanent exhibition in the reconstructed premises of the former Přemyslid Castle presents over 300 works from the Romanesque style to Baroque, including the famous Sternberg Madonna and the carriage of Bishop Troyer. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also organizes temporary exhibitions and accompanying events. It pays great attention to educational activities for all types of schools.

EUROPEAN MUSEUM OF THE YEAR 2008
Main Prize
Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia
Special Recognition
Catharijneconvent Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands
Museo de Almería, Almeria, Spain
The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, London, United Kingdom

Winning Museums from Previous Years
2007 - Deutsches Auswandererhaus, Bremerhaven, Germany
2006 - CosmoCaixa, Barcelona, Spain
2005 - National Heritage Museum, Arnhem, Netherlands
2004 - MARQ, Archaeological Museum of the Province of Alicante, Spain
2003 - Victoria and Albert Museum - British Galleries, United Kingdom
2002 - Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland
2001 - National Railway Museum, York, United Kingdom
2000 - Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain