Entrance fee planed for Notre-Dame, France
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said that visitors should be charged a small fee to see Notre-Dame Cathedral to help the country keep its world-famous churches and cathedrals in shape, Reuters reports
In an interview with Le Figaro, Ms. Dati said in that by charging only 5 Euros per visitor, Notre-Dame will be able to raise 75m Euros ($81m) a year. “In France, where secularism is part of the national identity, the state is in charge of maintaining the country's religious sites, including 15,000 classified as historic monuments, which are usually free of charge,” the publication reads.
The cathedral is under reconstruction after a fire severely damaged its roof and spire. President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild Notre-Dame within five years, attracting massive financial support from the private sector.
As noted by Ms. Dati, many of the country's famous buildings, which attract millions of tourists a year, are in a degraded state, and new funding sources are needed to address mounting preservation challenges, especially in the capital. She added that the Culture Ministry is working on the implementation of a new pricing policy, which will probably require co-ordination with various public and private entities starting in January 2026.
