In just seven minutes, the most visited museum in the world, the Louvre, was robbed of nine pieces of the French crown jewels. The robbery occurred in broad daylight at around 9:30 French time, shortly after the museum opened for the day. After the heist, the museum had to close, and they are still trying to find the four robbers who stole the jewels. The Louvre hasn’t been majorly robbed since 1998, so the citizens and government of France are still recovering from this heist.
Dressed as construction workers, the robbers used a basket lift and power tools to cut through the second-floor window to the Galerie d’Apollon, where the jewels were held. They apparently threatened the guards to leave, and no visitors were in the room, even though the museum was open. They stole Empress Eugénie’s crown, brooch, and tiara, an emerald necklace and earrings worn by Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, Marie-Louise, and a sapphire set worn by the last queen of France, Marie-Amélie. They did drop the crown, but the price of the items stolen is still significant. They eventually drove off on scooters at around 9:38, making the heist only seven minutes long.
The public has been saying the situation is like a scene straight out of a museum heist movie, given how openly the crime was committed. The government of France has also stated that this robbery has not only taken significant pieces of history, but also of the image of France. The people of France are frightened by the fact that the crime was committed so easily.
Even if they do catch the robbers, the recovery team is afraid they won’t be able to restore the pieces because the robbers will most likely melt down the metals and/or sell the jewels on the Dark Web.
Overall, whether or not the culprits of this crime are caught, the reputation of France has been damaged, and security at the Louvre and other museums around the world will increase significantly.
