Multiple robbers have broken into the Louvre Museum in Paris, stealing jewellery with “inestimable heritage and historical value”.
The robbers reportedly arrived at the museum on motorbikes around 9.30am local time on Sunday.
They then used a basket lift to reach a window where they broke in with a disc cutter, France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
The thieves used a basket lift to break into the Louvre Museum in Paris. (AP: Alexander Turnbull)
Le Parisien reported the thieves entered via the Seine-facing side, where construction is underway.Â
When inside they targeted the “Apollo’s Gallery”, which displays a selection of the remaining French Crown Jewels, Mr Nunez said.
France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the robbery only took four minutes.
“They don’t target people, they enter calmly in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot, and leave. No violence, very professional,” she told French television.
The Louvre said on X it was closing today “for exceptional reasons”.
The interior ministry said no injuries were reported.
The investigation begins
The French interior ministry released a statement saying: “The investigation has begun, and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled”.
“Beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value,” the statement read.
Whilst the value of the jewellery is still being estimated, Mr Nunez said that it was “priceless”.
Forensic police officers investigated the scene after the robbery at the Louvre. (Reuters: Gonzalo Fuentes)
Le Parisien reported that nine pieces of jewellery from the Napoleon and the Empress collection were stolen.
French authorities found a damaged 19th-century crown near the Louvre after it was robbed Sunday.
The crown once belonging to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, features golden eagles and is covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the museum’s website.
Risk of theft at the Louvre
Home to more than 33,000 works, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, staffing and protection have been flashpoints at the Louvre.
With 9 million visitors in 2024, the Louvre is the worlds most visited museum, which unions have warned strains security.
The museum delayed opening in June this year due to a staff strike over chronic understaffing and mass tourism.
The Louvre is home to some of the world’s most famous artworks, including the Mona Lisa. (Reuters: Gonzalo Fuentes)
In January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a decade long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan which will see roughly €700 million ($1.25 billion) spent to modernise infrastructure, ease crowding and give the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece its own dedicated gallery by 2031.
But workers at the museum say relief has been slow to reach the floor.
The museum has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies.
The most famous was in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat.
It was recovered two years later in Florence — an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.
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