The Louvre Museum reopened to the public on Wednesday, three days after being temporarily closed following the audacious theft of priceless royal jewellery.
According to an AFP journalist, visitors began arriving from 9:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), the museum’s regular opening time, though access to the Apollo Gallery where the theft took place remains restricted.
Investigators are currently pursuing leads on the assumption that an organised crime group carried out the robbery. Reports suggest that the thieves scaled a ladder from a truck to break into the museum and dropped a diamond-studded crown during their escape.
The culprits successfully fled with eight irreplaceable items, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
The Louvre, located in the heart of Paris, had closed its doors on Monday in response to the theft, leaving many disappointed tourists at the gates. It remained closed on Tuesday as part of its usual weekly schedule.
With more than nine million visitors last year, the Louvre is recognised as the world’s most visited museum, renowned for its vast art collections and historic treasures.
The heist has reignited concerns over the state of security in France’s museums, especially following similar incidents at two other institutions last month.
What you should know
The Louvre’s reopening marks a cautious return to normalcy following one of the most daring museum thefts in recent French history. The stolen pieces, deeply tied to France’s imperial legacy, carry immense historical and cultural value.
Authorities believe the heist was meticulously planned and executed by a professional crime network. While the Apollo Gallery remains off-limits during the investigation, pressure is mounting on museum officials and the French government to tighten security protocols across national cultural institutions to prevent further losses.
