A recent report from the Danish Museum Association notes that the high cost of energy is hitting museums hard. Some say they may have to lay off staff or cut hours, even as visitor numbers to the country’s museums are nearly back to pre-pandemic numbers.

The related report highlights that 66% of visitors had the same or more visitors in 2022 compared to 2019. However, while things look optimistic as museum visitor numbers return to pre-pandemic levels and ticket revenues rise, the Network of European Museum Organizations notes. the increase in energy costs does not alleviate the financial situation of museums.

Earlier this year, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence announced that it would raise ticket prices to cover electricity and heating bills. Thus, from today and for the next nine months, i.e. during the peak season, the ticket increases to 25 from 20 euros, while for those who visit the museum before 9 am, a reduced price of 19 euros is set. Energy consumption of the Gallery? Over the past year, they have grown by 180%.

ELSTAT records a 38.3% increase in visitors to Greek museums in October 2022 compared to the corresponding month in 2021 and a 58.2% increase in revenue. At archaeological sites, the increase in visitors reached 50.4%, and receipts – 61.2%. However, the problem of free admission still worries museum funds. In October 2022 alone, the percentage of visitors with free admission to museums is estimated at 58.6%, and in the ten months from January to October 2022, it increased by 146%.

European museums are excited about the return of their visitors, but worried about new needs caused by the crisis. They are called upon to face the changes in how they operate and the carbon dioxide they produce and destroy the climate, with rising energy costs, to develop sustainable development strategies.

In Denmark, according to the country’s Association of Museums, some museums are considering limiting the number of events or temporarily closing some departments, and some are discussing a possible increase in ticket prices to cover operating costs. Meanwhile, new museums are being opened or renovated, such as the Cold War Museum in Rold Skov Forest, where the Regan West nuclear shelter was built in 1960, 60 meters underground.

Greece is also preparing or modernizing new museums. Such as, among others, the construction of the new Archaeological Museum of Lefkada, the re-exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Argos and of course the much discussed expansion of EAM. So the problem is that the new museums are also sustainable. Because that’s the problem with museums in Greece.