The Louvre Museum reopened on Wednesday, three days after a brazen daylight heist in which thieves stole royal jewels worth an estimated €88 million ($102 million).
Live footage on Reuters TV showed visitors entering the museum for the first time since Sunday’s robbery, which forced the world’s most visited museum to shut its doors amid a massive investigation.
The seven-minute heist, described as one of the most daring in recent French history, has triggered an intense public debate about security failures at national museums.
Louvre director faces Senate questioning
As the Louvre welcomed back visitors, its Director Laurence des Cars prepared to face a French Senate cultural committee later on Wednesday to explain how such a major breach could occur under her watch.
Des Cars, who has led the museum since 2021, has not yet issued a public statement about the robbery, which reignited concerns over security gaps in French cultural institutions.
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According to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the Louvre curator estimated the losses at €88 million, but emphasized that the greater damage lies in the loss to France’s cultural heritage.
“The thieves will not profit much if they have the very bad idea of melting down these jewels,” Beccuau warned.
Four suspects, fingerprints, CCTV footage
Authorities believe the robbery was carried out by an organized crime group. Investigators say four people were involved, using a truck with an extendable ladder, similar to those used by moving companies in Paris.
They allegedly parked below the Apollo Gallery, climbed up, used cutting tools to break through a window, and smashed open display cases containing priceless artifacts.
Among the eight stolen pieces were an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his wife Empress Marie-Louise, and a diamond-studded diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds.
Detectives are currently analysing fingerprints found at the scene and reviewing video footage from museum cameras and highways around Paris. The robbers are believed to have escaped on scooters.
Security delays and ‘obsolete systems’ under scrutiny
A damning report from France’s Court of Auditors (2019–2024), obtained by AFP, revealed persistent delays in security upgrades at the Louvre. It found that only one-fourth of a single wing was covered by functioning surveillance systems.
Earlier this year, Des Cars had warned Culture Minister Rachida Dati about the “worrying level of obsolescence” at the museum, calling for urgent renovations to improve safety.
Despite criticism that the display cases were fragile, the Louvre said they had been installed in 2019 and “represented a considerable improvement in terms of security.”
French museums increasingly targeted
The Louvre heist follows two other major thefts in French museums last month.
At the Natural History Museum in Paris, thieves stole gold nuggets worth over $1.5 million. A 24-year-old Chinese woman was later arrested in Barcelona while attempting to sell nearly one kilogram of melted gold.
Meanwhile, another robbery in Limoges saw criminals steal two dishes and a vase worth $7.6 million.
The Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property has warned that museums are “increasingly targeted” for their valuable collections.
Union criticism over security staff cuts
Labour unions have also blamed the government for reducing on-site security staff, even as attendance at the Louvre has surged in recent years.
“We cannot do without physical surveillance,” a union representative said, emphasizing that budget cuts have left museums vulnerable despite rising visitor numbers and expanding collections.
