In its current Newsletter, the Prague Jewish Museum presents a stark summation of how the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine and associated economic and energy crisis have affected the Museum and its operation. With visitors in 2021 down around 80 percent from pre-COVID levels (and so far this year down around 60 percent), income for the Museum — which does not receive state funding — has been drastically cut, as operating and other costs skyrocket.
We have posted in the past about the impact (and potential impact) of the COVID pandemic, on the Prague Jewish Museum in particular, and on Jewish museums in general.
Already in March 2020, a report issued by the Network of European Museum Organizations (NEMO) on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on museums in general revealed grim challenges that will remain in place for the foreseeable future on all museums. It called on local, regional, and national authorities to aid museums and also called for major investment in digital resources and programming.
In its Newsletter the Prague Jewish Museum spells out its own crisis situation.
For the third year in a row, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine, the economic crisis has continued to have a negative impact, which has resulted in soaring inflation. For the past three years, the Jewish Museum as non-state-funded institution has been struggling with a difficult economic situation, having to deal with major losses in income due to a drastic decline in tourism and to rapidly rising operating costs.
In terms of economic results, 2019 was the last positive year when the museum’s revenue reached the expected level. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, visitor numbers in 2020 were down 81.37% on the previous year and receipts from ticket sales declined by as much as 84.09%. A similar decline occurred in 2021, with attendance down by 79.10% compared to 2019 and receipts from ticket sales declining by 81.12%. The situation has improved slightly this year, but there is still almost a 60% decline in visitor numbers and in receipts from ticket sales.
Moreover, from 1 January 2023, the Jewish Museum will be facing a dramatic increase in electricity and gas bills – about 350% higher than in 2022 (450% increase for gas, 300% increase for electricity). In nominal terms, it is estimated that our annual costs will rise by CZK 7.5 million, from the current CZK 3 million to CZK 10.5 million. In addition, operating costs can also be expected to increase – by 15-20% compared to the present level – as a result of contractual indexation of prices for services in line with average annual inflation for 2022.
The Museum pre-COVID was one of the most-visited museums in the Czech Republic, with 677,499 visitors in 2019 and 721,193 in 2018. The Museum’s collections are displayed in four historic synagogues, the Ceremonial Hall, and an art gallery, and it includes the Old Jewish Cemetery.
The Museum now actively seeks donations from the public to help.
Click here to read the Newsletter and find details about how to donate