Eurovision exhibition in the ABBA Museum goes down memory lane

Verka Serduchka's team from Ukraine didn't make it to first place in 2007. Her wild song including the German words "eins, zwei, drei, tanzen" had to be content with second place. But the singing disco ball won over many viewers' hearts. Now the peculiar outfit is in display in Stockholm's ABBA Museum.

The costumes slowly revolve in their glass cases so that visitors can examine every detail. Was it the dress that tipped the balance for her in 2014, the voice or the song? Maybe it was the very fact that Conchita Wurst elegantly tested the limits of gender bending. Whatever the reason, "Rise Like A Phoenix" made Eurovision history.

Celine Dion has recently said that having won the ESC was a very special moment in her life. Entering the competition in 1988 for Switzerland at the beginning of her career, she donned an outfit by Canadian designer Michael Robidas. For years to come, it brought her good luck, she said. Now she has lent it to the ABBA Museum for a while.

Four letters, two couples, a pop legend: ABBA took top honors at the ESC in 1974 with the song "Waterloo," which subsequently became a hit and rocketed to the pinnacle of the charts in 10 countries. At the ESC, the band opted for cuffed pants, platform shoes, colorful fabrics, chains and glitter - typical '70s style, but also showing that standing out visually increases the chances of victory.

The Finnish heavy metal band's performance wasn't for the faint-hearted. Now Lordi has contributed its stage garb to the exhibition. The band won in 2006 with "Hard Rock Hallelujah," a mix of leaden rock song and pop hymn. The shocking, confusing and fascinating spectacle secured Lordi a lasting place in viewers' memories.

A must-see for hard-core fans: the exhibition has every single ESC shows ever broadcast on display. Watching all 60, however is an endurance test, with the journey through the vast ESC universe lasting several hundred hours.