The Museum of Byzantine Culture was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize for the year 2005, following the unanimous recommendation of the Council’s Committee on Culture, Science and Education.
The foundation stone was laid in March 1989 and the building was completed and handed over in October 1993. The antiquities that had been transferred to Athens in 1916 returned back to Thessaloniki in June 1994, part of which was displayed in the museum’s inaugural exhibition «Byzantine Treasures of Thessaloniki: The Return Journey».
The museum finally opened on 11 September 1994…