Museum With No Frontiers
Encyclopedia
Museum With No Frontiers (MWNF), an international non-profit organization
founded in 1995 as a result of the Barcelona Declaration by Eva Schubert, with the goal of launching a formal partnership between the European Union
and its Mediterranean neighbours, which recently resulted in the constitution of the Union for the Mediterranean
. It is the largest trans-national museum on the internet. MWNF's goal is to promote cooperation in the fields of cultural heritage
, tourism
and education
. MWNF develops exhibition formats that do not require moving the artworks, but instead, museum artefacts, monuments and archaeological sites are presented in situ (Exhibition Trails) or in a virtual environment (the MWNF Virtual Museum). Within the programme coordinated by MWNF each country presents its history, art and culture from the local perspective. Over 500 partners from 21 countries participate in different projects. HRH Princess Sumayyah of Jordan is one of the members of the recently constituted MWNF Honorary Committee. MWNF was founded in Vienna
, Austria
, moved its operational office to Madrid
, Spain
in 1998 and is currently based in Brussels
, Belgium
. In May 2007, the involvement of the European Commission
ended, and the museum became self-financed.
The Virtual Museum was launched by MWNF in 2007. The platform enables partners from different countries to present a joint theme from a shared perspective and to create virtual ensembles that would otherwise be impossible to realise. It also shows the role of Islam
not only in the Mediterranean but also in Europe. The first section, www.discoverislamicart.org, was completed in 2005 in cooperation with partners from 14 countries. It’s Permanent Collection and Database comprises 850 artefacts as well as 385 monuments and archaeological sites from the Umayyad period (AD 132–750) until the end of the Ottoman Empire (1922). 18 Virtual Exhibitions present the history, art and cultural legacy of the great Islamic dynasties of the Mediterranean. Descriptions are available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish; for the Virtual Exhibitions furthermore also in German, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish and Swedish.
Exhibition Trail is the name of one of MWNF's other exhibition formats, authored by Eva Schubert. All items on display – museum artefacts, monuments and archaeological sites – are presented in situ, thus making moving the artworks unnecessary. Instead, the visitor discovers the artefacts on display in their natural environment. Each Exhibition Trail has an accompanying catalogue, designed and written by local experts of each country, and produced for use as a thematic guide during the visit. So far 15 Exhibition Trails have been launched in 11 countries offering a total of 164 thematic itineraries and turning 1,468 local museums, monuments and archaeological sites – to a large extent unknown to non-experts – into key elements of local development.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
founded in 1995 as a result of the Barcelona Declaration by Eva Schubert, with the goal of launching a formal partnership between the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and its Mediterranean neighbours, which recently resulted in the constitution of the Union for the Mediterranean
Union for the Mediterranean
The Union for the Mediterranean is a multilateral partnership that encompasses 43 countries from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin: the 27 member states of the European Union and 16 Mediterranean partner countries from North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans...
. It is the largest trans-national museum on the internet. MWNF's goal is to promote cooperation in the fields of cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. MWNF develops exhibition formats that do not require moving the artworks, but instead, museum artefacts, monuments and archaeological sites are presented in situ (Exhibition Trails) or in a virtual environment (the MWNF Virtual Museum). Within the programme coordinated by MWNF each country presents its history, art and culture from the local perspective. Over 500 partners from 21 countries participate in different projects. HRH Princess Sumayyah of Jordan is one of the members of the recently constituted MWNF Honorary Committee. MWNF was founded in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, moved its operational office to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1998 and is currently based in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In May 2007, the involvement of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
ended, and the museum became self-financed.
The Virtual Museum was launched by MWNF in 2007. The platform enables partners from different countries to present a joint theme from a shared perspective and to create virtual ensembles that would otherwise be impossible to realise. It also shows the role of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
not only in the Mediterranean but also in Europe. The first section, www.discoverislamicart.org, was completed in 2005 in cooperation with partners from 14 countries. It’s Permanent Collection and Database comprises 850 artefacts as well as 385 monuments and archaeological sites from the Umayyad period (AD 132–750) until the end of the Ottoman Empire (1922). 18 Virtual Exhibitions present the history, art and cultural legacy of the great Islamic dynasties of the Mediterranean. Descriptions are available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish; for the Virtual Exhibitions furthermore also in German, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish and Swedish.
Exhibition Trail is the name of one of MWNF's other exhibition formats, authored by Eva Schubert. All items on display – museum artefacts, monuments and archaeological sites – are presented in situ, thus making moving the artworks unnecessary. Instead, the visitor discovers the artefacts on display in their natural environment. Each Exhibition Trail has an accompanying catalogue, designed and written by local experts of each country, and produced for use as a thematic guide during the visit. So far 15 Exhibition Trails have been launched in 11 countries offering a total of 164 thematic itineraries and turning 1,468 local museums, monuments and archaeological sites – to a large extent unknown to non-experts – into key elements of local development.