Louvre and Versailles to open seven days a week

21:00, 1 October 2014

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Three of France's most famous museums and art galleries - the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles and the Musee d'Orsay - will soon be open seven days a week, the government revealed on Wednesday. Many visitors may be surprised they aren't already open all week-round. The ministry of culture has been working on the project for several months with the idea to keep the famous sites open seven days a week first mooted back in July.

Armenpress reports, citing The Local, the confirmation of the government’s plan came in the draft 2015 Budget which was presented to the cabinet on Wednesday.

“The opening of the country’s three most-visited museums seven days a week will improve the access offered to the public and better access to the works of art,” reads the text of the draft budget.

The necessary recruitment so the museums can open all week round will also be carried out, the text says.

The ministry added it would hold consultations with the necessary social partners and that the "net economic effect would be positive", with ticket receipts outweighing the costs involved. The week-long openings are expected to come into force from next year.

Unlike comparable institutions in other parts of the world, the museums currently close one day per week, usually on Monday or Tuesday.

In London, top museums such as the National Gallery or the British Museum are open every day of the week. Similarly the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, is the world's most visited museum, with more than 9.2 million visitors per year.

The Palace of Versailles, to the southeast of Paris, attracts seven million visitors per year and the Musee d'Orsay 3.5 million.

The seven-day operation could be welcome news for the Louvre museum's finances which have been hit by a flurry of problems in recent years, including a fake ticket scam and a spike in pickpocket thefts which in turn led to a temporary closure of the museum due to a staff walkout.

Louvre and Versailles to open seven days a week | ARMENPRESS Armenian News Agency

Louvre and Versailles to open seven days a week

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