Paris (CNN) — Sunday’s audacious heist saw thieves break into the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery and make off with jewelry of “inestimable” value. The suspects carried out the burglary in just seven minutes, France’s interior minister Laurent Nuñez told radio station France Inter.
French media reported that thieves had attempted to steal the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, but the crown was found outside the Louvre, according to French culture minister Rachida Dati. The ornate gold piece, which features 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, was damaged in the heist, according to French TV station TF1 and newspaper Le Parisien.
The robbery, which prompted the swift evacuation of visitors and the museum’s closure for the rest of the day, is only the latest in a series of troubles to befall the venerable institution.
A Court of Auditors report obtained by Franceinfo and covering the period between 2019 to 2024 noted a “persistent delay” in updating security systems at the Louvre. The report also identified “operational implementation” of security device renovations as an issue, stating that it appeared they were “uneven and generally very limited.”
“The obsolescence cycle of the museum’s technical equipment has accelerated more significantly than the pace of investment made by the institution to address it,” the report concluded.
Built in the late 12th century, the Louvre Palace was the official residence of the kings of France for centuries. King Louis XIV’s decision to move his court to Versailles, on the outskirts of the French capital, allowed for the establishment of the Louvre Museum in 1793. Since then, it has become the most visited museum in the world and a cultural highlight of any stay in Paris.
Last year, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors, with tourists from the United States making up 13% of all guests, second only to the French. But the large crowds entering through the museum’s doors each day have put a strain on the centuries-old building – and its staff.
Earlier this year, French newspaper Le Parisien reported on a confidential letter sent from the president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, to Culture Minister Rachida Dati warning of the dilapidated state of one of Europe’s top attractions.
In the memo, dated January 23 and confirmed to CNN by the Louvre, des Cars requested urgent help to address a slew of issues affecting the museum. She warned of an increase in damage to the museum’s spaces, with some areas becoming “very deteriorated.”
Problems included water leaks, overcrowding, and worrying temperature fluctuations which threatened to “endanger the conservation of works of art,” the memo detailed.
The museum president cautioned that the Louvre was offering “insufficient” services to the public due to overcrowding, with food services and restrooms “well below international standards” in number.
“Visiting the Louvre constitutes a physical ordeal; reaching the artworks takes time and is not always easy,” the memo said.
Visitors often flock to the Salle des États to see one of the most famous artworks in the museum, if not the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” But the museum president called for the placement of the artwork to be reconsidered.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced later that month that the “Mona Lisa” would get its own dedicated room inside the Louvre as part of major renovation plans. The expansion of the Parisian landmark is expected to take up to 10 years.
Just six months later, in June, the museum closed its doors for a day as workers there went on strike, complaining of unmanageable crowds, understaffing and poor working conditions in a building unable to handle its current popularity.
Sunday’s brazen daylight robbery was also not the first instance of theft to beset the Louvre.
Most famously, the jewel in the Louvre’s crown, the “Mona Lisa,” was stolen in 1911 by Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. Having slipped the painting under his clothing, Peruggia escaped the building undetected and wasn’t caught for two years. The public became fascinated by the two-year manhunt, with the daring burglary catapulting the “Mona Lisa” from a relatively unknown work to a world-renowned icon.
More recently, two pieces of 16th-century armor were returned to the Louvre Museum almost 40 years after they were stolen. The Renaissance-era helmet and body armor were on display in the Louvre when they were stolen overnight from May 31 to June 1, 1983. It wasn’t until March 2021 that the stolen artefacts were returned to the museum.
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