Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
The city-state of Berlin has announced that its popular admission-free museum Sundays scheme will continue into 2022 and 2023.
Under the scheme, multiple museums across Germany’s capital city offer free entry to visitors on one Sunday each month. Since being launched last July - after a two-year postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic - the scheme has allowed around 155.000 people to visit some of Berlin’s biggest attractions without having to pay a cent.
The Museumssonntag scheme has now expanded to include 64 museums across the city, including some world-famous institutions on Museum Island, smaller museums further afield, and the newly-opened Berlin Humboldt Forum. All should continue to offer free admission on one Sunday each month throughout 2022 and 2023. The confirmed dates so far are:
Note that some museums will request visitors to book a time slot ticket online, and all will be restricting visitor numbers, so make sure to check out the rules at your preferred museum before attending.
According to initial feedback, the scheme has so far been a success. Nine out of 10 people surveyed during a visit to one of the museums said they thought positively of the initiative, and three-quarters said that the free admission was the main reason for their museum visit that day. The majority were first-time visitors to the respective museums.
Reflecting positively on the initiative, Berlin’s Senator for Culture, Klaus Lederer, told dpa that the museums were keen to further broaden their appeal. As well as providing a greater range of exhibits and formats, attention is also being paid to the diversity of audiences.
“In the broadening of perspectives in a society that is becoming more diverse, programmes, staff and audience are key to making such institutions accessible to a larger audience: I only go there if I feel that I am represented in these institutions,” explained Lederer, adding that museums should tell stories that “make people curious and invite them in.”