French heritage is still appreciated. Latest proof to date: the annual report on the number of visits to the hundred or so sites managed throughout the country by the Center des monuments nationaux (CMN). In total, 9,971,000 visitors opened the doors, in 2019, of churches, cathedrals or castles under the responsibility of the public establishment.
The figure is slightly lower than in 2018, a record year with more than 10.2 million visitors. But it represents a real performance given the many events that came to disrupt the year: the Notre-Dame fire, of course, whose access to the towers is managed by the CMN, but also the nineteen days of closures of the Arc de Triomphe, linked to the demonstrations of the Yellow Vests. This does not prevent the latter from remaining one of the “darlings” of the public.
Followed by the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
As in previous years, the Parisian monument remains the one that attracted the most tourists: 1.61 million. It is closely followed by the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel (1.48 million), up 6.12%. In third position, the Sainte-Chapelle, which experienced a major restoration campaign until 2016, attracted 1.3 million visitors and recorded above all the largest increase in attendance in Paris: + 8.72% compared to 2018. No doubt it has benefited, since the fire, from a transfer of visitors to Notre-Dame, located a few meters…
In the regions, many sites also experienced significant increases, most often due to special operations or the success of temporary exhibitions. The most spectacular: the castle of Talcy (Loir-et-Cher) has doubled its attendance (+ 115%) and totals 28,570 thanks to a free period of one month.
Other examples: the Cadillac castle in Gironde (+ 3.77) took advantage of the “Henri IV, a king in history” exhibition organized in collaboration with the Palace of Versailles, and the Towers and ramparts of Aigues- Dead in the Gard (+ 8.24%) of that dedicated to the contemporary Japanese artist Kôichi Kurita.
