Eurovision exhibition in the ABBA Museum

"Good Evening Europe!": Nearly every television viewer has heard the cry, an indelible part of the world's longest-lasting music show, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).

In 1956, the premiere year, it took place in Lugano, Switzerland, then called "Gran Premio Eurovisione Della Canzone Europea." Ever-growing numbers of participants and countries transmitting the event have made it the world's most successful TV show, watched last year by about 200 million viewers.

Shrill stage outfits and heartrending ballads

Stockholm's ABBA Museum and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have presented this year's edition of the ESC with a gift that should fire up Eurovision addicts. Having opened on May 7, one week before the finale, it presents numerous stage outfits from the contest's six decades. Simultaneously, visitors can view every ESC show broadcast since 1956, with the older TV recordings having been digitized.

To watch them all, one would have to camp out for several days in the museum however, as the total video collection comprises hundreds of hours of film material.

Focus on Sweden

Unsurprisingly, Sweden is specially celebrated at the exhibition in Stockholm, having won the competition six times. The Scandinavian country is topped only by Ireland - although that country's last crown goes back several years. Visitors are invited to participate, have the chance to sing along with ESC hits and to put their knowledge of ESC trivia to the test in a quiz.

Empty space for the 2016 winner

One showcase remains empty, however; it's reserved for the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. After the finale, the winner will be invited to deposit something there that brought him or her that extra bit of luck.