A team of professional thieves executed an audacious heist at the world's most visited museum on Sunday morning, making off with priceless jewelry from the French Crown Jewels collection in just seven minutes. The criminals used power tools and a furniture hoist to break into the Louvre's Gallerie d'Apollon (Apollo's Gallery), forcing the iconic museum to shut its doors for the day. The brazen robbery occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time, just 800 meters from Paris police headquarters, while the museum was already open to the public.
The thieves demonstrated sophisticated planning and execution, using a basket lift to scale the building's exterior and reach a window of the gallery that houses France's most precious royal treasures. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that three or four perpetrators were involved in the operation, describing it as the work of "a team that had done scouting." The criminals used disc cutters to slice through window panes before smashing display cases to access the invaluable collection. No injuries were reported among visitors, museum staff, or law enforcement officers during the incident.
Among the stolen items, the crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, was found broken near the museum afterward, according to an anonymous source close to the investigation. This spectacular piece features golden eagles and is adorned with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, making it worth tens of millions of euros alone. Alexandre Giquello, President of the Drouot auction house, emphasized the gravity of the theft, stating that the crown "is not, in my opinion, the most important item" taken, suggesting even more valuable pieces were stolen.
The Apollo's Gallery normally displays some of France's most treasured historical artifacts, including three legendary diamonds - the Regent, the Sancy, and the Hortensia - as well as an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon presented to his wife, Empress Marie Louise. According to Le Parisien newspaper, the thieves specifically targeted the Seine-facing facade where construction work was underway, using a freight elevator to reach the gallery. Reports indicate that nine pieces from Napoleon and the Empress's jewelry collection were stolen during the meticulously planned operation.
A witness named Samir, who was cycling nearby during the heist, provided crucial testimony to TF1 news, describing how he observed two men "get on the hoist, break the window and enter... it took 30 seconds." He reported seeing four individuals subsequently flee the scene and immediately contacted police. The criminals' use of small chainsaws and their arrival on scooters demonstrated their preparation for a quick escape from one of the world's most secure cultural institutions.
The Louvre announced on social media platform X that it would remain closed for "exceptional reasons," leading to the evacuation of all visitors and the turning away of new arrivals. Police cordoned off the museum and closed surrounding streets as forensic teams arrived to process the crime scene. Uniformed soldiers carrying automatic rifles patrolled the museum's famous esplanade while investigators worked to determine the full extent of the theft.
This incident represents the latest in a troubling series of museum heists targeting French cultural institutions. Last month, thieves broke into Paris's Natural History Museum, stealing gold samples worth approximately $700,000 using angle grinders and blowtorches. In November of the previous year, four criminals armed with axes and baseball bats stole snuffboxes and precious artifacts from the Cognacq-Jay museum in broad daylight, striking while other visitors watched helplessly.
The Louvre itself has a notorious history of thefts, most famously the 1911 disappearance of the Mona Lisa. Vincenzo Peruggia, a former museum worker, hid inside the building and walked out with Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece concealed under his coat. The painting was recovered two years later in Florence, and the incident helped establish the Mona Lisa as the world's most recognizable artwork. In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armor were stolen from the museum and only recovered nearly four decades later.
Giquello warned that the perpetrators have put themselves in an extremely precarious position, as the stolen jewels are "completely unsellable" due to their historical significance and recognition. "We're touching on the history of France... It's a completely incomprehensible act, because the perpetrators will have every police force in the world on their tail," he explained. He expressed hope that the thieves would "realize the gravity of their crime and the dimension they've entered into, and return the items."
The Louvre, home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture, and paintings from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the classical world to European masters, can attract up to 30,000 visitors daily. Last year, the museum welcomed 8.7 million visitors, making it the world's most popular cultural attraction. The museum's star attractions include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, representing some of humanity's greatest artistic achievements.
President Emmanuel Macron announced in January his commitment to having the Louvre "redesigned, restored and enlarged" after the museum's director raised concerns about deteriorating conditions inside the historic building. Macron expressed his ambition to increase annual visitor numbers to 12 million, though this latest security breach may prompt a comprehensive review of the museum's protection systems. The Interior Ministry has launched a full investigation and is compiling a detailed inventory of the stolen items, emphasizing that beyond their monetary value, these artifacts possess "priceless heritage and historical value" for France and the world.
