Free and discounted museum entry under threat in Hungary

Free entrance to permanent exhibitions at state-owned museums in Hungary may be abolished, reports hirtv.hu.

National Gallery Director Loránd Bereczky said Tuesday the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture is considering putting an end to free entrance at the same time it abolishes discounted museum entrance fees offered to Hungarians only.

The free entrance incentive was introduced three years ago, but it has apparently not led to any increase in museum visitors. Most museums support the plan, because - contrary to promises - their loss of revenue was not compensated by the state budget.

The ministry has issued a statement saying the government regulation on discounted museum entrance fees for Hungarians violates the European Economic Community Treaty of 1957 because foreign visitors are not offered the same discounts.

The European Commission has started proceedings against Hungary for failing to abide to the treaty. The ministry has prepared a proposal for the amendment and talks are currently underway about details of the amended regulation. The statement does not specify when the new regulation will become effective.

Responding to the news, the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) said that the number of visitors to their permanent collection did not grow after free entrance was introduced on May 1, 2004. Only one change occurred: More tourists are using the museum's bathrooms because they can be reached without buying a ticket.

Imre Takács, the director of the Museum of Applied Arts ( Iparművészeti Múzeum), said there have been changes at museums in recent years, but not necessarily positive ones. Several museums organize loudly marketed temporary exhibitions that attract many visitors and bring high revenues, while permanent exhibitions that do not bring any revenue are neglected, he said. In his opinion, the permanent collections often represent more value than the popular temporary exhibits, but he said many people think if something is free, it must not be valuable.

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