The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, has reopened its doors to the public on Wednesday, just three days after one of the most audacious art thefts in recent history.
The Louvre Museum/Chris Karidis/Unsplash
The investigators are actively searching for the missing jewels and the suspects responsible for the meticulously planned heist, which allegedly took about seven minutes to complete, as previously reported by Travel Pulse.
According to The Associated Press, visitors arriving at the museum were met with barriers being dismantled and security screens concealing the Apollon Gallery, where the theft took place. The gallery is still closed to the public as forensic teams continue their investigation.
The theft, which unfolded in under four minutes, saw eight pieces from France’s Crown Jewels stolen, including emerald and diamond creations once belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte’s wives, Empress Marie-Louise and Empress Eugénie.
Authorities said two items were later recovered outside the museum, apparently dropped as the thieves fled — among them, Eugénie’s emerald-and-diamond crown featuring more than 1,300 diamonds, found damaged but intact.
The Louvre temporarily shut down on Sunday following a break-in that occurred just 30 minutes after it opened to visitors. Investigators believe the culprits gained entry through a window facing the Seine, using a basket lift attached to a truck. After smashing two display cases and triggering alarms, they escaped on motorcycles before security guards could intervene.
The heist has renewed scrutiny over the museum’s security and staffing challenges. President Emmanuel Macron and Louvre director Laurence des Cars face mounting questions about how such a breach occurred at one of the world’s most heavily guarded institutions. In recent years, staff have staged walkouts over safety and crowding concerns, with the museum welcoming an average of 30,000 visitors daily.
This marks the Louvre’s first successful theft in nearly three decades — the last occurring in 1998, when Camille Corot’s Le Chemin de Sèvres disappeared and has yet to be found.
While the museum has reopened, the aftermath of the heist continues to echo through France — a reminder that even history’s grandest vaults are not beyond reach.
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