Louvre shuts as protesters block entrance

By coincidence, the last time the Louvre closed to visitors was exactly one year ago, on October 19, 2025, after a gang of thieves broke into the complex in the early morning hours and stole jewelry belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine that had been on display. Police estimated that the heist, which lasted just seven minutes, was orchestrated by an organized crime syndicate.

The investigation revealed that the thieves entered the building through an area undergoing renovations and used a freight elevator to reach the "Apollo Gallery" directly. There they smashed the display cases and stole nine items from the historic jewelry collection, valued at approximately 88 million euros. One of the pieces, a crown containing thousands of diamonds, was dropped and damaged as the robbers fled the scene. Following the theft, the museum closed immediately to visitors and remained shut for three days before reopening to the public.