Tarbes makes all municipal museums free

The city council of Tarbes voted on June 29 to abolish entrance fees for all municipal museums, effective July 2026. The measure covers the Musée Massey, Musée de la Déportation et de la Résistance, Maison natale du Maréchal Foch, and the Carmel. Deputy mayor for culture Laure Bertrand stated the goal is to increase attendance and democratize access. Paid guided tours and workshops remain unchanged. Mayor Pascal Claverie noted ticket revenues were about €25,000. In 2025, the Musée Massey welcomed nearly 13,000 visitors, up 20% from 2024. Tarbes, with 44,000 inhabitants in 2023, stands out in the Musées Occitanie network: Montpellier offers free entry to some museums but charges for others; Toulouse limits free access to the first Sunday; Nîmes voted to extend free entry from autumn 2026. The Musée Massey houses a major collection on the history of hussars (17,000 objects), a Beaux-Arts collection including works by Maurice Utrillo and Henri Borde, and archaeological pieces from Bigorre.