Thieves executed a meticulously planned raid on Paris’s Louvre Museum on Sunday morning, stealing priceless jewellery from Napoleon and Empress Josephine’s collection in a brazen seven-minute heist that forced the world’s most visited museum to close.
The gang used a basket lift mounted on a lorry to access the Apollo Gallery at approximately 9.30am, cutting through windows with disc cutters whilst thousands of tourists were already inside the iconic building.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the operation as a “major robbery” carried out by a team that had clearly conducted reconnaissance, with the thieves escaping on motorbikes after smashing display cases and seizing jewels of “inestimable value”.
Nine Pieces Stolen from Imperial Collection
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the criminals stole nine pieces from the jewellery collection belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Josephine, including a necklace, brooch and tiara.
The thieves targeted the Galerie d’Apollon, a magnificent vaulted hall in the Denon wing featuring a ceiling painted by King Louis XIV’s court artist, where part of the French Crown Jewels are displayed.
Nuñez told France Inter radio: “Individuals entered from the outside using a basket lift. The operation lasted seven minutes. It was manifestly a team that had done scouting.”
The minister explained that the gang cut through window panes using disc cutters before forcing open display cases and fleeing with their haul on two-wheelers.
Empress Eugénie’s Crown Found Broken Outside Museum
Culture Minister Rachida Dati revealed that one stolen piece of jewellery was discovered near the museum and was being evaluated by experts.
Le Parisien reported the recovered item was the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, and that it had been damaged during the theft.
The ornate crown, adorned with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, represents one of the most spectacular pieces in the French Crown Jewels collection.
The fact the thieves discarded such a valuable historical artefact suggests either panic during their escape or that the crown proved too cumbersome to transport quickly.
Thieves Exploited Construction Work Vulnerabilities
The criminals gained access through the museum’s Seine-facing facade, where ongoing construction work provided an opportunity to breach security undetected.
Reports indicate the gang used a freight elevator positioned on the back of a flatbed lorry to reach the windows of the targeted gallery directly.
This sophisticated approach suggests extensive planning and insider knowledge of the museum’s layout and security arrangements.
Images from the scene showed police examining the basket lift, resembling a giant ladder, left propped against the historic stone walls of the Louvre after the gang’s hasty departure.
Museum Evacuated as Investigation Launched
The Interior Ministry confirmed the Louvre was forced to close for the day “for exceptional reasons” as forensic teams began combing the crime scene for evidence.
Nuñez explained: “It was necessary to evacuate people from the museum, mainly to preserve evidence and clues so that investigators could work undisturbed.”
Thousands of tourists already inside the building when the raid occurred were ushered out as police sealed gates and cordoned off the affected areas.
Culture Minister Dati wrote on social media: “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum. No injuries were reported. I am on site alongside museum staff and the police. Investigations are ongoing.”
Investigation Targets Organised Crime Gang
The Paris public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into organised theft and criminal conspiracy to commit crime.
Authorities believe three or four perpetrators carried out the raid, though accomplices may have provided logistical support outside the museum.
Nuñez expressed confidence in apprehending the culprits, stating: “I expect we will very soon find the thieves and jewels.”
However, experts warn that stolen historical treasures of this significance are often impossible to sell on the open market and may disappear into private collections for decades.
Historic Collection Targeted by Criminals
The stolen jewellery forms part of an extraordinary collection amassed by Napoleon and Josephine after they were crowned Emperor and Empress of France in 1804.
The Apollo Gallery displays hardstone vessels collected by French kings, carved from precious minerals including jade and rock crystal, alongside the French Crown Jewels and historic diamonds.
The gallery’s collection represents centuries of French royal patronage and craftsmanship, making the items culturally priceless regardless of their monetary value.
Louvre’s Long History of Audacious Thefts
Sunday’s robbery marks the latest chapter in the Louvre’s troubled history with art crime, though incidents of this magnitude remain exceptionally rare.
The most infamous theft occurred in 1911 when Vincenzo Peruggia, a former museum employee, stole Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa by hiding inside the building overnight and walking out with the painting concealed under his coat.
The masterpiece was recovered two years later in Florence, Italy, but the theft paradoxically enhanced the Mona Lisa’s fame, helping cement its status as the world’s most recognisable artwork.
In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armour disappeared from the Louvre and were only recovered nearly four decades later.
Questions Raised Over Museum Security
The audacious nature of Sunday’s heist, executed in broad daylight shortly after opening time, has raised serious questions about security measures at one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions.
Paris Centre Mayor Ariel Weil told reporters the thieves had “planned this meticulously, obviously,” adding he could not recall the Louvre being targeted in a robbery for more than a century.
The fact construction work created vulnerabilities that sophisticated criminals could exploit suggests security protocols may not adequately account for temporary changes to the building’s defences.
The Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year, with Americans representing 13 per cent of guests, second only to the French themselves.
Managing security for such vast numbers whilst preserving access to cultural treasures presents enormous challenges for museum administrators.
Pattern of High-Profile European Museum Raids
Sunday’s theft echoes other brazen museum robberies across Europe in recent years, suggesting organised crime networks are increasingly targeting prestigious institutions.
In 2019, thieves smashed display cases in Dresden’s Green Vault and escaped with diamond-studded royal jewels worth hundreds of millions of euros.
Two years earlier, burglars at Berlin’s Bode Museum stole a 100-kilogram solid gold coin.
In 2010, a lone intruder slipped into Paris’s Museum of Modern Art and made off with five paintings, including a Picasso.
As investigators work to recover Napoleon’s stolen treasures, the Louvre faces difficult questions about whether its security arrangements remain fit for purpose in an era of increasingly sophisticated museum heists.
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Image Credit:
Pavillon Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, part of the Palais du Louvre, Paris — photo by Thesupermat, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
