The Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens and the Museum of Ancient Eleutherna on the island of Crete have been nominated for the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award for 2019.

The private Kotsanas Museum’s permanent collection comprises 150 functional models and replicas of ancient Greek technological innovations, while the museum also organizes temporary shows like the current one on “Ancient War Machines,” running through December 31.

The museum of Eleutherna is Crete’s first museum dedicated to an archaeological site and is innovative in that its permanent exhibition is constantly being renewed with finds from the museum’s collection of older and new discoveries from the active excavation of the ancient city.

There are 40 nominees on the list, four each in Denmark, Finland and Poland, and several of which are dedicated to specialized subjects, such as the Antonina Lesniewska Museum of Pharmacy in Warsaw, the Mastola Radio & TV Museum in Lahti, Finland, and the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire in the UK.

The winners will be announced in May.

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.