The Museum Alka of Sinj is nominated for the most prestigious European museum award!
The only Croatian museum on the list, the Museum Alka of Sinj will compete against 40 museums from 10 European countries for the prestigious European Museum of the Year (EMYA) which is awarded by the European Museum Forum. The 40th anniversary of the prize will be awarded in Zagreb from May 3-6 this year, reports Poslovni.hr on April 15, 2017.
The Sinjska Alka is an equestrian tournament that commemorates the victory of 700 defenders from Sinj against 60,000 Ottoman soldiers which took place on August 14, 1715. The tournament has been held on the first Sunday of August since 1717.
Motivated by the idea that further homage needed to be given to this important part of Sinj’s heritage, the Museum Alka of Sinj opened in 2015 just before the 300th edition of the famous Sinjska Alka tournament. The interactive museum is located in the heart of the Alka halls in the old Venetian republic's Kvartiri which were the barracks for the Croatian cavalry.
Museum of Alka Sinj Facebook
The Museum of Alka Sinj now celebrates over 300 years of the competition with alkar’s uniforms, equipment and weaponry, historical objects, life-sized displays, rule books, statues, and even multimedia of the famous Battle of 1715. Upon entrance to the museum visitors can also view a documentary film displaying the history of the Sinjska Alka.
Since 1997, the European Museum Forum has operated under the auspices of the Council of Europe and is one of the leading non-profit organizations in Europe in developing the public quality of European museums. Since it’s foundation 40 years ago, the European Museum of the Year Award has become one of the longest-running and most prestigious awards in Europe that recognizes excellence in European museums while encouraging innovative processes for the benefit of society.
