Louvre Opens Doors to Crowds, But Apollo Gallery Remains Sealed After Heist

The Louvre Museum swung open its iconic doors to visitors on Wednesday for the first time since a brazen daylight heist on Sunday stripped the Apollo Gallery of royal jewels worth over $100 million (€92 million), leaving authorities scrambling to recover the priceless artefacts and the institution's director facing a Senate inquiry into glaring security lapses. From 9 a.m. local time, eager crowds queued under overcast Parisian skies to re-enter the world's most visited art haven, which draws over 9 million patrons annually. The museum announced limited operations, with the Apollo Gallery—home to the opulent Galerie d'Apollon displaying 17th-century French crown treasures—barricaded for forensic examination and heightened precautions.

The robbery, executed in a mere seven minutes around noon on October 20, involved at least two masked assailants who smashed display cases under a swarm of tourists, snatching an array of diamond-encrusted tiaras, necklaces, and brooches once owned by queens like Marie Antoinette and Eugénie. Surveillance footage, leaked by French outlet BFMTV, captured the chaos: one thief hurling a hammer at bulletproof glass while an accomplice scooped gems into a black duffel bag before both fled on foot into the bustling Tuileries Garden. No arrests have been made, but prosecutors revealed the haul's staggering value during a Tuesday briefing, eclipsing even the 2019 theft of Van Gogh's works from a Brazilian museum in insured losses.

Louvre Director Laurence des Cars, appointed in 2021 as the first woman to helm the institution, has remained silent publicly but is slated for a tense grilling before a Senate cultural affairs committee on Thursday. Lawmakers, incensed by the breach at a site protected by 100 guards and infrared sensors, are probing why the gallery's alarms—triggered only after the fact—failed to alert responders in time.

Des Cars, a historian credited with boosting digital access during the pandemic, now navigates a crisis threatening the Louvre's reputation as an impregnable fortress housing the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin decried the "unacceptable" oversight, pledging €5 million in emergency upgrades, including AI-monitored vitrines and 24/7 patrols. Experts speculate the thieves exploited peak weekend crowds, with insiders estimating a black-market resale value of $30-50 million for the untraceable gems, potentially funnelled through European fences or Middle Eastern auctions.

Also Read: Tourists Left Disappointed As Louvre Museum Closes Day After Jewellery Heist

This audacious caper evokes echoes of historic art crimes, like the 1911 Mona Lisa snatching that briefly shuttered the Louvre, but underscores modern vulnerabilities in a post-9/11 era of layered security. The museum, funded partly by €250 million in annual ticket sales, faces a ripple effect: insurers like AXA have invoked force majeure clauses, delaying payouts, while tourism officials warn of a 5-10% dip in November bookings amid global headlines.

Visitors on Wednesday expressed mixed awe—snapping selfies with the Winged Victory—yet unease, with one American tourist telling AFP, "It's thrilling, but who knows what's next?" As Interpol issues red notices for the jewels, French police raid Paris suburbs for leads, blending high-tech forensics with old-school tips from the underworld. The heist not only robs France of its glittering past but also tests the cultural sector's resilience against organised crime's evolving tactics.

Also Read: Authorities Track Four Thieves Behind High-Stakes Louvre Crown Jewels Theft