Louvre closed, thieves steal part of Napoleonic collection from museum

(Patria) - Part of the jewellery from the Napoleonic collection was stolen on Sunday in a robbery at the Louvre, French media reported.

French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati confirmed the information that on Sunday morning, criminals stole valuable jewellery from the Louvre museum in Paris and then fled, which is why the most visited museum in the world will remain closed for the entire day.

According to initial investigation data, the robbery occurred between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m.

The robbers, whose number authorities have not yet disclosed, reportedly arrived at the museum on a scooter and used a freight elevator to access the room they intended to loot.

They were equipped with small power saws.

Immediately after the Louvre opened this morning, a "robbery" occurred, the Minister of Culture previously reported on X.

"We have no reports of injuries. I am at the scene with museum staff and police, and the investigation is ongoing," wrote Rachida Dati.

One or more criminals managed to break into the museum, her associates told AFP, without releasing information about a possible theft of art objects.

"The museum will remain closed today, Sunday, due to exceptional reasons," reads a statement from the museum's management on platform X, and the message was also published in English.

The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. In 2024, it was visited by nearly nine million visitors, 80 percent of whom were foreigners.