A shocking incident hit a world-famous museum in France on Sunday morning when it reported a theft, prompting a shutdown for the day. Police said that an unknown number of thieves arrived on a scooter carrying small chainsaws and fled with jewellery after breaking into the Louvre. They used a goods lift to reach the room they targeted, and the value of stolen jewellery is still being evaluated, according to AFP, which cited sources.
Authorities on alert: Museum shuts down amid investigation
In a post on X, France’s culture minister Rachida Dati said, “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum.” Dati further added that she was on-site and authorities are investigating.
Following the theft, the museum confirmed its closure, citing “exceptional reasons.”
Breaking in: Apollo Gallery targeted, Napoleon’s jewels stolen
According to French daily Le Parisien, the robbers broke into Louvre, the world’s most visited museum and former palace, through the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway.
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It added that they used a freight elevator to enter the targeted room in the Apollo Gallery. Le Parisien said that after breaking windows, the robbers stole “nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress.”
A history of heists: From Mona Lisa to Renaissance Armour
The world-famous museum has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. One of the most notorious thefts took place in 1911, when Mona Lisa vanished from its frame. The thief, identified as Vincenzo Peruggia, hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. The quest to find the painting ended two years later in Florence, a remarkable episode that made Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.Another famous theft took place in 1983, when two Renaissance-era pieces of armour were stolen. They were recovered nearly four decades later.
Louvre’s legacy: 30,000 visitors, 33,000 priceless artefacts, and global fame
The museum, which can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day, is home to many special and valuable (over 33,000) antiquities, sculptures, paintings and more. It bears the legacy from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Napoleonic-era looting. Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace are some of its centre of attraction.
