The Dutch Lower House has decided that three museums in Amsterdam will be free to the public one day a month. The decision was made in order to improve the museums’ accessibility to members of the public who have lower incomes.
The three museums in question are the Rijksmuseum, the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) and the Van Gogh Museum. The decision to make them free for one day a month was supported by all Dutch political parties except the PVV and VVD (no surprises there).
The proposal was discussed last Tuesday in the Lower House, with D66 MP Salima Belhaj and Labour Party leader Lodewijk Asscher taking the lead in advocating for it. According to the Labour Party, the (very high) admissions prices of most Dutch museums puts people off from visiting them- particularly those with less cash to spare. To Asscher, national collections should be accessible to, well, the whole nation.
It’s not yet clear when the free day programme will begin, nor which day of the week the government will choose to make free.
What do you think of this idea? What other museums should be made free one day a month? Let us know in the comments below.Â
Feature image: kirkandmimi/Pixabay
The Dutch are ahead of the U. S. I so many areas, but all of our museums in Washington D. C. are free. Always. National museums in Dublin, Ireland are free as well.