Special Commendation (Ειδική Μνεία) — A notable European distinction has been awarded to the Maria Callas Museum of the Municipality of Athens by the jury of the European Museum of the Year Awards 2025.
This announcement was made during the EMYA awards ceremony, held this year at the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białystok, Poland.
Special commendations are given to museums that have developed new and innovative approaches, serving as inspiration for other European institutions.
H. Doukas: Strengthening our vision for an internationally oriented museum
The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, emphasized: “The special recognition of the Maria Callas Museum by the European Museum of the Year Awards 2025 is a significant acknowledgment for both Athens and the museum, which is now recognized at a European level for its contemporary, innovative, and interactive character. This award bolsters our vision to create a museum with an international focus that honors Maria Callas’s memory and artistic legacy in a vibrant, experiential, and accessible manner for everyone. An additional highlight is the 49,000 visitors who honored us from January 2024 to May 2025. Congratulations to the Technopolis team, the museum staff, and the dedicated collaborators and experts who worked tirelessly to merge innovation with remembrance.”
K. Papaioannou: The Maria Callas Museum enriches our city’s cultural landscape
Kostis Papaioannou, President of the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, which manages the museum, stated: “This special commendation for the Maria Callas Museum is a significant recognition for a public museum that, at the heart of Athens, successfully combines the uniqueness of Callas’s persona with modern museum practices. With an educational focus, a variety of artistic initiatives, and a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for all, this museum enriches our city’s cultural landscape and affirms Technopolis’s role as an entity that invests in the vibrancy and outwardness of culture.”
M. Florou: This empowers us to continue our mission
Maria Florou, Head of the Museums Sector (Maria Callas Museum & Gas Museum) at Technopolis, remarked: “Our participation in this event over the past days has inspired us with new ideas, reinforcing our awareness that many contemporary museums are innovating daily to stay true to their objectives, values, and, above all, respecting their audience. This makes us stronger in our commitment to continue our work with determination and professional integrity.”
The mention of the museum during the ceremony was as follows: “The sixth special commendation is bestowed upon a museum whose innovative scenography vividly and skillfully captures the theatricality and interpretative dimension that defined the career and artistic expression of a world-renowned singer. Visitors are immersed in the world of the soprano through texts, objects, videos, and rare audio clips, as the life and journey of Maria Callas unfold.”
A total of 41 museums participated in the EMYA 2025, and seven received Special Commendations. Each, with its unique identity, demonstrates the capacity of museums to innovate, unite communities, and inspire contemporary storytelling and engagement.
