**Brazen Seven-Minute Jewel Heist at the Louvre Shocks Visitors and Authorities**
On Sunday morning, thieves executed a daring robbery at the Louvre Museum, using a basket lift to reach the premises and force open a window as tourists were already inside. Within seven minutes, they smashed display cases and fled with jewels described by France’s interior minister as having “inestimable value.”
The world’s most visited museum was forced to close for the day as police sealed the gates and escorted visitors out amid an ongoing investigation. “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced on X, citing “exceptional reasons” for the closure. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
### Details of the Heist
Around 9:30 a.m., several intruders broke into the Galerie d’Apollon, a vaulted hall in the Denon wing housing part of the French Crown Jewels under a ceiling painted by King Louis XIV’s court artist. The thieves forced open a window, smashed display cases (vitrines), and escaped on two-wheelers, according to the Interior Ministry.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the incident as a “major robbery” and revealed that the intruders used a disc cutter to slice through glass panes. He told France Inter radio that the heist lasted only seven minutes and was “manifestly a team that had done scouting,” entering from the outside via the basket lift.
Among the stolen items were nine jewels from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and Empress Eugénie. Notably, one stolen jewel was later found outside the museum; it is believed to be Empress Eugénie’s crown, though it had been damaged.
### Security and Staffing Concerns
The heist has brought renewed scrutiny to security at the Louvre. While marquee works such as the Mona Lisa are protected by bulletproof glass and high-tech display systems, the museum has faced challenges regarding staffing and visitor management.
In June, the museum delayed its opening due to a staff walkout protesting overcrowding and chronic understaffing. Unions have warned that mass tourism strains security resources. However, it remains unclear if staffing issues played a role in Sunday’s theft.
President Emmanuel Macron announced a €700 million “Louvre New Renaissance” plan in January, aiming to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding, and provide the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece its own dedicated gallery by 2031. Yet, workers say that relief has been slow to reach the museum floor.
### A Pattern of European Museum Thefts
This brazen robbery is not an isolated event in Europe. In 2019, thieves raided Dresden’s Green Vault, stealing diamond-studded royal jewels worth hundreds of millions of euros. In 2017, a 100-kilogram solid-gold coin was stolen from Berlin’s Bode Museum. Paris’s Museum of Modern Art was also targeted in 2010 when a lone intruder escaped with five paintings, including a Picasso.
The Louvre itself has a notorious history of thefts. The most famous occurred in 1911, when Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker, stole the Mona Lisa by hiding inside the museum and walking out with the painting under his coat. The masterpiece was recovered two years later in Florence, an incident that helped cement its global fame.
### About the Louvre
Home to over 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture, and paintings from Mesopotamia, Egypt, the classical world, and European masters, the Louvre’s star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The museum attracts up to 30,000 visitors daily, making security and visitor management an ongoing priority.
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Authorities continue forensic work and are compiling a precise inventory of the stolen jewels as the investigation proceeds. Museum leadership, along with Ministers Dati and Nuñez, remain on site to coordinate response efforts. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.
https://www.wptv.com/world/europe/thieves-strike-louvre-in-brazen-jewel-heist-as-the-worlds-most-visited-museum-shuts