THE extraordinary Galloway Hoard, the largest collection of Viking-age treasures ever found in the UK or Ireland, will be the highlight of the National Museum of Scotland’s exhibition programme for 2021, it was announced yesterday.

Showing from February 19 to May 9, the Galloway Hoard was discovered in 2014 and acquired by National Museums Scotland in 2017 with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and ArtFund as well as a public fundraising campaign.

The exhibition will reveal the detailed conservation work carried out, the exciting research discoveries that have been made so far and some of the mysteries that scholars will keep working to solve now and for many years to come.

Other exhibitions during the year include Scotland’s Climate Challenge from September 24 2021 to March 27, 2022, coinciding with COP26 in Glasgow, which will use National Museums’ collections to show the evidence for rapid, dramatic climate change and its potential consequences.

The exhibition Inspiring Walter Scott will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the author’s birth. He was an active member of the Society of Antiquaries for Scotland, whose collections formed the initial core of the museum’s Scottish collections.

Dr Chris Breward, the Director of National Museums Scotland said: “Having successfully re-opened our museums, it is wonderful now to be able to announce an exciting programme of special exhibitions and displays for the year ahead. The programme reflects the wonderful diversity of our collections and our work with several of the exhibitions covering important themes.

“The Galloway Hoard embodies one of our core strengths as the global centre for Scottish history and archaeology. It is important also for us as a national museum to engage with the challenges of climate change, a key issue for our times.

“While there are difficult times ahead for us all, recent developments give us cause for optimism that things will be better next year. Assuming that is the case, I hope this programme of exhibitions will give people reason to visit and revisit their national

museum in 2021.’”