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The Louvre is among a number of French cultural institutions and landmarks turning their lights off in an attempt to cut soaring energy costs
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 03 Oct 2022
The Louvre is among a number of institutions across France turning their lights off in an attempt to save energy Credit: Canva
Paris’ iconic Louvre has joined the Eiffel Tower and Musée d’Orsay in turning its lights out early in a bid to tackle skyrocketing energy costs as part of a government scheme.
The Louvre is among a number of major cultural institutions in France to turn off the lights earlier than usual, with the museum’s iconic glass pyramid now turning dark every night at 11pm instead of 1am.
Announced by France’s culture minister, Rima Abdul Malak, the restriction came into effect last month and will continue for the foreseeable future.
In her announcement, Malak also urged the nation’s cultural institutions to adopt energy-saving methods, such as switching to LED bulbs.
“We are going to turn off the Louvre pyramid earlier, starting this evening. ... We will also turn off the facade of the Palace of Versailles,” she said, speaking to the media about what has been dubbed “energy sobriety”.
“It’s important to mobilize citizens, but what is important is to work concretely on how to act for the ecological transition in our museums, in our theatres, in our cinemas, in all of France's cultural venues,” she added.
Paris’ energy bill is expected to hit €90m (US$88.2m, £79m) in 2022 - an increase of €35m (US$34.3m, £30.7m) compared to 2021.
Last month it was also announced that the Eiffel Tower’s 20,000 bulbs would go dark at 11:45pm instead of 1am. By that time of day, said France’s mayor Anne Hidalgo, most tourists have left the national monument.
Elsewhere, in Germany, the cities of Munich and Hanover have turned off hot water in city-run buildings and leisure centres. Ornamental lights that grace the cities’ monuments are also being switched off to cope with surging electricity costs.
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