After the government’s decision not to renew the “rail pass”, intended for young people to travel unlimited on the TER and Intercités during the summer, a new initiative is emerging. This time, it is no longer about mobility, but about culture: a «patrimoine pass» will be launched at the start of the school year. Announced Thursday June 11, this new system was presented by the Minister of Culture Catherine Pégard during an event organized in Versailles, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Heritage Foundation, reports BFM.
This “heritage pass” will be launched in September and implemented by the Heritage Foundation. It will be offered during the European Heritage Days, scheduled for September 19 and 20. Its price should be “around 100 euros”even if its exact amount will be specified at the start of the school year, according to the Foundation. Distributed during annual membership to the Heritage Foundation, this pass will provide access for one year to “Nearly 500 monuments, museums, castles, gardens”.
Emblematic places and more confidential sites
The objective is twofold: to encourage cultural visits and financially support the sites concerned. The minister explains that she wants «bring heritage to life by increasing the number of visits” et “bring to partner sites additional income». Pass holders will be able to visit many prestigious sites such as the Château de Versailles, Chambord, Fontainebleau, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chantilly, Azay-le-Rideau, Vincennes, or even the Villa Cavrois and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.
The system is not limited to large monuments. More confidential sites will also be included, such as La Maison Rozier (Puy-de-Dôme), La Maison de Colette (Yonne), La Devinière – Musée Rabelais (Indre-et-Loire) but also Le Four des Casseaux (Haute-Vienne). The implementation of the heritage pass will be supported by several organizations, including the Center for National Monuments, the Association of Small Cities of Character in France and the Federation of Conservatories of Natural Spaces. The Heritage Foundation, created in 1996, claims to have made it possible to “save, restore and transmit more than 46,487 projects across mainland France and overseas.”
