Free admission for children and young people up to the age of 18 - new admission regulations at the museums of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Press release from 07/05/2010
From 1 October 2010, children and young people will have free admission to the museums of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Musikinstrumenten-Museum) until the age of 18 - instead of the previous age of 16. This change was decided by the SPK Foundation Council last Friday on the basis of the positive experience with the previous regulation, which had been in place since 1 April 2004. For families in particular, it offers financial relief when visiting museums and young visitors are to be encouraged to take up the museums' offers independently. Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, says: "This is a further step towards strengthening cultural education and attracting a young audience. This will be accompanied by a wide range of events and publications specifically for these target groups."
With the introduction of the new user regulations, free admission is also available to people who receive transfer payments and can identify themselves accordingly. These include recipients of ALG II, social welfare, basic income support or benefits under the Asylum Seekers Act. In this way, the foundation wants to fulfil the interests of the less affluent public. As before, jobseekers on ALG I benefits will receive an admission discount of 50 per cent.
However, general free admission for permanent exhibitions during the last four opening hours on Thursdays will be cancelled. The original aim of the scheme was to appeal to the Berlin public. However, it was increasingly used by tourists, who can be considered a more affluent audience.
The annual tickets for the State Museums will be retained. The annual pass for all permanent exhibitions is still available for 40 euros (concessions: 20 euros). The Annual Pass Plus, which guarantees free admission to permanent and special exhibitions, costs 80 euros as before, with a reduced price of 40 euros.
In addition to job-seekers, a 50 per cent discount on admission to permanent exhibitions and both annual passes will continue to be available to school pupils, students, those doing basic military and civilian service and the severely disabled (at least 50 per cent disability) on presentation of the relevant ID.
Free admission to the museums' permanent exhibitions will also continue to be granted to schoolchildren in supervised school lessons, students attending regular lectures at universities and universities of applied sciences accompanied by lecturers, persons accompanying severely disabled persons who are recognised as medically necessary, provided this is noted on their severely disabled pass, visitors to the reading and study rooms, members of the International Museums Council and the German Museums Association and holders of a press pass. Members of sponsoring organisations receive free admission to the museum sponsored by their organisation.
This press release as a PDF document (PDF, 80 KB, not barrier-free)