The world’s most visited museum, the Louvre, closed this Sunday (19) after a robbery in which nine jewels were stolen. The site is located in Paris, the French capital. Three masked men broke into the museum, using a service elevator attached to a large extendable staircase that is on the southeast side of the building, facing the Seine River.
The Louvre Museum boasts a collection of over 33,000 pieces, ranging from antiquities from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the classical world to important works of European sculpture and painting. Among the most sought-after highlights are the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo sculpture, and the Winged Wing of Samothrace.
“A robbery occurred this morning during the opening of the Louvre Museum. There were no casualties. I am on site with museum and police teams. Investigations are ongoing,” Rachida Dati posted on social media.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the stolen objects were of “inestimable value.” The museum announced it would remain closed for “exceptional reasons.”
One of the vehicles used by the bandits was found abandoned. Police also found one of the jewels, identified as the Empress’s crown, broken and left outside the museum.
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Other institutions have also been attacked in recent months. In September, the National Museum of Natural History in Paris reported the theft of native gold specimens valued at 600,000 euros. In the same period, a museum in Limoges, a leading porcelain museum, suffered a theft estimated at 6.5 million euros.
Investigation finds crown after Louvre robbery: 1,300 diamonds and 56 emeralds
French authorities recovered Empress Eugenie’s crown, made up of 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, on Sunday (19). Investigators found the object just hours after the theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The piece is damaged, but details on its extent are still unclear. The Louvre is world-famous and received 8.7 million visitors in 2024.
Appointed Crown Jeweler by Napoleon III, Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier was responsible for creating the crown in 1855. It was first displayed at the Paris Universal Exhibition. At the time, the emperor was attempting to reaffirm France’s prestige among the European powers.
In 1988, the crown entered the French public collection, with collector Roberto Polo participating in its acquisition. The theft that damaged the crown lasted about seven minutes, according to Paris police.
The Louvre Museum boasts a collection of over 33,000 pieces, spanning antiquities from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the classical world. It houses works of European painting and sculpture. Among the most sought-after highlights are the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo sculpture, and the Winged Wing of Samothrace.
How was the action?
Thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in the French capital. They used a crane and broke an upper-floor window. Then they fled on motorcycles, the French government reported. The thieves launched their attack around 9:30 a.m. (local time). The museum had already opened its doors to the public. The criminals entered the Galerie d’Apollon building, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement. The robbery took about four minutes, Culture Minister Rachida Dati told TF1, and was carried out by professionals.
“We saw some footage: they don’t target people, they come in calmly in four minutes, break shop windows, take the items and leave. No violence, very professional,” she said on TF1.
The minister reported that a piece of jewelry was recovered outside the museum, apparently having fallen during the escape. Dati declined to say what the item was, but the newspaper Le Parisien reported that it was believed to be the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie. The jewel was broken, the newspaper said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France Inter that three or four thieves entered the museum from the outside using a crane positioned on a truck. “They broke a window, went into the display cases, and stole the jewels… which have real and inestimable historical value,” Nunez said.
Source: brasil247.com