Energy crisis, museums in Strasbourg reduce opening hours

The energy crisis is also beginning to take its toll on museums. Shortly after Ferragosto on these pages we had reported on what German museums are doing to cope with the situation, pointing out that in Germany the priority is not to close institutes, which have already made sacrifices during the Covid pandemic. Now the problem is also being raised in France, and Strasbourg is the first city to take action: the mayor Jeanne Barseghian, of the Europe Écologie Les Verts party, has announced that the city’s ten museums will experience reductions in their opening hours. The restriction of hours affects all museums, of which there are nine: the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, the Musée Tomi Ungerer - Centre International de l’Illustration, the Musée Historique, the Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Musée Archéologique, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée Alsacien, and the Palais de l’Aubette.

Currently, the museums have fairly wide opening hours. The Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Musée Historique, and Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except Wednesday and Thursday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.). Same hours for the Musée Alsacien, Musée Archéologique, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Musée des Beaux-Arts, and Musée Tomi Ungerer, which, however, have their closing day on Tuesday instead of Monday. The Palais de l’Aubette, on the other hand, closes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Sundays and opens from 1 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 2 to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

With the new hours, which will take effect on October 3, 2022, everything changes: the 10 a.m.-6 p.m. continuous hours are abolished, and some museums will close to the public an extra day. The Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Musée Tomi Ungerer, Musée Historique, and Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame will open every day except Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Musée Archéologique, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée Alsacien will have the same hours but will close on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and finally the Palais de l’Aubette will open Wednesday through Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. Thus, for the first eight museums, the opening hours will be reduced from 42 hours per week to 35, and for the Aubette from 18 to 16.

“It is a measure to adjust local public service” in the face of the energy crisis, Mayor Barseghian explained. There will be “a closure of two days a week instead of one day, with also time slots adjusted for attendance.” The closure from 1 to 2 p.m. is in fact motivated by the fact that attendance is low at these times. However, there will be no increases on tickets: “I want our museums to remain accessible,” said the mayor. In addition, museums will remain open six days out of seven during major exhibitions and honor appointments made with schools.

Not everyone agrees, however: former mayor Fabienne Keller, who served from 2001 to 2008, has already launched a petition on change.org against the current administration’s decision. “Strasbourg, which is the seventh tourist destination in France,” the petition reads, “would be the first French metropolis to make such a decision. A city of art and history, it welcomes nearly 4 million visitors every year. Such a decision would be foolish! For a long time, the municipality has invested a quarter of its budget in cultural development in all its forms: museums, opera, theater, music, dance, artistic creation, books and media, etc. Moreover, Strasbourg has been designated by UNESCO as the World Book Capital in 2024. What credibility for the image and influence of our city in making such a decision in this context? With our European neighbors and the Rhine basin, Strasbourg constitutes a particularly dynamic European cultural heart [...]. Finally, schools would see their museum access offer reduced by a third (from 3 to 2 school days per week), even though the educational service of the Strasbourg Museums is one of the most dynamic and extensive in France. This is a considerable loss for the access of school children to culture and for the opening of the youngest to knowledge.” The call is therefore to reconsider the decision.

Image: Palais Rohan, home of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Strasbourg

Energy crisis, museums in Strasbourg reduce opening hours

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