One of the most impressive and at the same time brazen events of recent years took place on Sunday morning at , at . According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, unknown assailants stole jewels of “priceless cultural value” from the famous “Gallery of Apollo”in an operation that lasted just seven minutes.
The museum was immediately evacuated, while the French authorities have launched an extensive investigation to identify the perpetrators.
REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Seven minute raid
The robbery took place around 09:30 to 09:40 in the morning (local time, 10:30 – 10:40 Greek time), when three or four masked men they managed to gain access to the building from the Seine River side, where maintenance work was in progress.
Using lifting machine and angle wheelthe perpetrators broke a first floor window and entered the Gallery. Within minutes, they broke two glass cases, grabbed the jewelry and fled on motorcycles.
Images of the Louvre burglary (BFMTV document)
— BFMTV (@BFMTV)
The interior minister stated that this is a “well organized operation”, which has the characteristics of an experienced and professional team. The robbers seem to have studied the area and moved with “precision and speed”.
For her part, France’s Culture Minister Rashida Dati pointed out, speaking to the TF1 television station, that “we saw some footage” from security cameras. “They don’t target people, they calmly walk in in four minutes, break shop windows, take their loot and leave. No violence, very professional,” he explained.
What was stolen – Emphasize the crown of Empress Eugenia
According to the newspaper Le Parisien, the perpetrators removed nine of the 23 jewels in the imperial collection of Napoleon and Empress Eugenie.
Among the stolen items are a necklace, earrings, a pin and two crowns, one of which – the crown of Empress Eugenia – was found broken a few meters from the museum.
The crown of Empress Eugénie (1826–1920), stolen earlier today, has been found broken outside the Louvre Museum.
— Masterpieces of France (@FrenchArt_)
According to Núñez, the attackers focused on “two storefronts”.
The thieves stole nine pieces belonging to the collection of Napoleon and the empress, including a necklace, a brooch and a tiara. These objects were presented in “Napoleon’s showcases”.
According to a museum source, the centerpiece of the collection — the famous…
— Tribune Populaire🌐 (@TribunePop23)
A Louvre source reported that the famous diamond “Regent”weighing more than 140 carats, is not included in the stolen items. “Régent”, also known as “cursed diamond”is considered one of the purest and most valuable in the world.
🚨ALERT INFO
This Sunday morning, a team of four robbers entered the Louvre museum with a freight elevator.
Using a chainsaw, they forced open a window and emptied two display cases with Napoleon Jewelry and Sovereign Jewelry.
In a few minutes, they disappeared on…
— Tribune Populaire🌐 (@TribunePop23)
The museum was closed for security reasons
Culture Minister Dati confirmed that there were no injuries and that the museum was evacuated immediately after the incident. “I am at the scene, along with the museum staff and the police. Investigations are ongoing,” he said, underlining that “organized crime is now targeting museums and works of art.”
The Louvre has announced that it will remain closed to the public in order to preserve evidence and facilitate the authorities’ investigation.
⚠️🇫🇷 The Louvre Museum will remain closed today for exceptional reasons.
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⚠️🌍 The Musée du Louvre will remain closed today for exceptional reasons.— Louvre Museum (@MuseeLouvre)
The “Gallery of Apollo” and the treasures of the French Crown
The “Gallery of Apollo”, one of the most emblematic rooms of the Louvre, was built at the behest of King Louis XIV and houses the French Crown Jewels collection.
Among the precious exhibits are the legendary diamonds “The Regent”, “The Sancy” και “The Hortensia”as well as jewelry worn by empresses of France.
The hall was completely renovated between 2017 and 2020 and is considered a “temple dedicated to light and regal majesty,” as the museum states on its website.
Investigation into “organized robbery”
OR Prosecutor’s Office of Paris has opened a case for “organized robbery”, assigning the case to Crime Suppression Unit (BRB). The police authorities are examining videos from security cameras and material left behind by the perpetrators during their escape.
“All means have been put in place to recover the stolen items,” the French interior ministry said, noting that the real value of the jewels “is incalculable, as they are part of the national cultural heritage.”
Sources say that the perpetrators of the robbery would not be able to offer such famous exhibits for sale and the most likely solution to make a profit from them is to melt the gold, reducing their purchase value to a huge percentage.
“It’s a shock,” Paris authorities say
THE mayor of central Paris, Ariel Weil;said he was shocked by the robbery, noting that the incident raises serious questions about museum security.
“Until now, we only saw such stories in the cinema. It is hard to imagine that someone could break into the Louvre so easily,” he said.
Núñez, a former Paris police chief who was recently appointed interior minister, expressed “strong optimism” that the attackers, who escaped on a scooter, would be caught “very soon”. According to him, these are “experienced” criminals who may be “foreigners”. A scooter was located after they fled.
Security gaps and robberies in other museums
Asked about possible gaps in the security system, the interior minister declined to comment, stressing however that museum security is vulnerable.
“We know very well that there is a significant vulnerability in French museums,” he said, recalling that a recent “security plan” launched by the Ministry of Culture also includes the Louvre.
His remarks follow a series of recent break-ins at museums in France and the Louvre, which protested understaffing and the abandonment of the museum’s infrastructure, which made it dysfunctional for staff and visitors.
In mid-September, samples of natural gold were stolen from the National Museum of Natural History of Pariswhich called the loss “priceless” for research and cultural heritage. The theft involved several samples of natural gold (gold in its natural form), the museum had explained, with their value estimated at around 600,000 euros.
In the same month, museum in Limogesthe city in central France, known for its porcelain, was the target of a burglary, with an estimated €6.5m worth of loot.
The Louvre and the robberies of the past
The Louvre Museum, which houses over 33,000 works of art and welcomes around 9 million visitors a year, has been the target of robberies in the past.
- In 1911, museum employee Vincenzo Perugia stole the Mona Lisa, which was returned two years later.
- In 1976, burglars removed a diamond-encrusted sword of King Charles X.
- In 1990 a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir was stolen.
