French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard announced the launch of the “Heritage Passport” (pass patrimoine), a single pass that will allow year-long access to approximately 500 monuments, museums, castles, and gardens across the country. The pass will cost approximately €100 and will be valid from September 19th to 20th, during European Heritage Days.
The pass will be issued with an annual membership to the Heritage Foundation (Fondation du patrimoine) and will grant access to both famous and lesser-known sites. These include the Palace of Versailles, the Châteaux of Chambord and Chantilly, and the François-Rabelais Museum “La Devinière.” The program’s main goal is to engage a wider audience in cultural heritage and provide partner sites with an additional source of income. Similar passes have long existed for Parisian museums, but this is the first attempt to expand the system nationwide in France.
Founded in 1996, the Heritage Foundation states that it has helped “save, restore, and pass on more than 46,487 projects throughout metropolitan and overseas France.” The Heritage Pass is part of this same approach of promoting and preserving heritage.
The National Monuments Center, the Association of Small Towns of Character of France, and the Federation of Nature Reserves will participate in implementing the program.
At a time when funding and the attractiveness of cultural sites remain crucial issues, this new pass could provide an additional tool for bringing the public closer to French heritage while contributing to its preservation. This initiative aims to transform visits into acts of sustained support for the transmission of cultural heritage.
Illustrative photo: pexels-axp-photography-500641970-19136624
