Swiss museum wins European environment sustainability prize
The Muzoo Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds was awarded the Meyvaert Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability in Byalystok, Poland, on Saturday. It won thanks to its combination of a natural history museum and a zoo. The museum of the year was the Manchester Museum.
Four Swiss museums were nominated for the European Museum Prize. The jury awarded the sustainability prize to Muzoo because of its focus on the complex relationship between man and the environment, the Association of Swiss Museums (Museums.ch) announced on Saturday evening.
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Muzoo’s exhibitions focus on biodiversity through unique visitor experiences in direct contact with animals, said the ten-strong jury, who paid tribute to the institution. Muzoo invites the public to take care of native species themselves by maintaining and using an urban park and the zoo.
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Museum director Xavier Huther and Yasmine Ponnampalam, head of the zoo, received the award. Switzerland already won the prize in 2023 which was awarded to the Swiss Agricultural Museum in Burgrain in canton Lucerne.
The jury named the Manchester Museum (UK) as Museum of the Year for its integrative approach, which has created a place for everyone. This prestigious prize has been awarded since 1977 by the European Museum Forum (EMF) to newly opened or completely refurbished museums in Europe.
In addition to Muzoo, the Swiss museums nominated in 2025 included the Museum Enter Technikwelt in Solothurn, the Gletschergarten in Lucerne and the Musée international de la Réforme in Geneva.
Adapted from French by DeepL/ac
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