Louvre Reopens Amid Ongoing Investigation After 88 Million Euro Jewel Heist

Sat Oct 25 2025 02:29:03 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Louvre Museum in Paris has reopened just three days after a massive daylight theft of crown jewels valued at €88 million, although the gallery where the robbery took place remains closed.

Following a daring robbery that stole €88 million worth of jewels, the Louvre Museum reopened its doors to visitors. The Apollo Gallery, where the heist occurred, remains closed as security concerns grow and French officials call for accountability following the incident. Four masked thieves executed the theft in less than eight minutes, and the museum's director is set to discuss the robbery's implications before the French Senate.

The Louvre Museum in Paris has reopened three days after jewellery worth 88 million euros (£76m; $88m) was stolen in a brazen daylight robbery.

Visitors were welcomed back to the Louvre from 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Wednesday, but the museum said its Apollo Gallery - where the heist took place - remained closed.

Thieves wielding power tools took less than eight minutes break into the world's most-visited museum and made off with the loot on scooters on Sunday morning. They have not yet been caught.

The museum's director Laurence des Cars is set to appear before the French Senate's culture committee on Wednesday afternoon.

She has not yet spoken publicly about the robbery, which President Emmanuel Macron described as an attack on the country's heritage.

A preliminary report found one in three rooms in the Louvre lacked CCTV and that its wider alarm system did not go off. Security measures have been tightened at cultural institutions across France as a result.

The museum shut its doors after the daring heist, telling visitors who had booked ahead of time that they would be refunded.

Meanwhile, tens of investigators have been working to catch the criminals.

Four masked thieves used a truck with a set of mechanical ladders mounted on it to gain access to the Gallery of Apollo via a balcony close to the River Seine at 09:30 on Sunday.

They then threatened the guards inside, who evacuated the building, and cut through the glass of two display cases containing jewels. The thieves made their escape on scooters at 09:38.

The stolen items include a diamond and emerald necklace that Emperor Napoleon gave to his wife, a tiara worn by Empress Eugenie, and several pieces previously owned by Queen Marie-Amelie.

Following the theft, investigators recovered a damaged crown thought to belong to Empress Eugenie, dropped during the escape.