Opening Balance Sheet – The Mauritshuis in Euros

One year after the reopening of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, known worldwide for its seventeenth century Flemish and Dutch masterworks, an interesting financial balance sheet has been drawn up.

The Dutch media has reported exhaustively on the economic impact of Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring” and the other showpieces owned by the museum, and tell us how things are proceeding after a turbulent opening year.

For #32, Gerd Korinthenberg surveys some of the reports issued in our neighbor country:

With 600,000 guests since summer of 2014, the Mauritshuis has almost tripled its attendance figures in the first year following recent renovations and expansions. For the years to follow this extraordinary boom in attendance, the museum expects to receive 440,000 guests each year on average, which still represents a doubling of previous attendance figures. The numbers are drawn from a study that is summarized in reports published in the daily newspapers De Telegraaf and AD. According to the study, the museum – with its staff of 854 – contributed altogether 32.2 million euros to the economy of the Low Countries during its fast-paced opening year, while this figure is expected to level out at around 23.7 million euros during the ensuing “normal” years.

Essential in determining the economic value of these priceless art treasures were the expenditures of divergent groups of visitors. On average, Dutch guests spent 19 euros when visiting The Hague. Day visitors from abroad left behind 48 euros in the town; on average, multi-day visits to the Mauritshuis and the surrounding town were worth 246 euros.

What is striking is the national breakdown of visitors from the Netherlands and abroad to the former residence of Prince John Maurice of Nassau, which has served as a museum for paintings since 1822, and was recently closed for two years for refurbishments: one third comes from abroad, as opposed to 64% from the Netherlands. For the striking number of visitors to the museum from The Hague and the immediate surroundings, Emilie Gordenker, Director of the Mauritshuis, offers a logical explanation: “It's a combination of pride and curiosity!”

(photo on first page: Ivo Hoekstra, credits: Mauritshuis, Den Haag)