The Slovenian Museum Association has awarded the Museum of Madness the Valvasor Honorary Award for 2022 for special merits in the protection of cultural heritage and the difficult interpretation of the phenomenon of madness. The award ceremony took place on the occasion of International Museum Day, 18 May 2023, at the National Gallery in Ljubljana.
In their justification, they said:
The Museum of Madness is also working to preserve and revitalise the cultural monument of Cmurek Castle, which until 2004 was a special unit of the Institute for the Mentally and Nervously Ill. With its location right on the border with Austria and its unique programme, it is a special museum that has developed a large-scale central permanent exhibition and seven special permanent thematic exhibitions until 2022, using a variety of approaches. In doing so, it has managed to thematise the phenomenon of madness in a highly responsible and cultured way, without any tendency towards patheticism, sensationalism or commercialisation. For visitors from both sides of the border, the museum is at the same time a place of remembrance and respect. (More in the Valvasor Awards for 2022 e-booklet)
The award ceremony took place on the occasion of International Museum Day, 18 May 2023, at the National Gallery in Ljubljana.