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2w ago

Louvre Reopens Apollo Gallery Empty After Crown Jewels Heist

Museum officials removed the jewel displays and relocated surviving pieces to a windowless vault to allow restoration of the hall to its 17th‑century state.

Visitors stand near the window which was broken in the 2025 heist in which French crown jewels were stolen from the Apollo Gallery (Galerie d'Apollon), during the gallery's reopening to the public, at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France, July 22, 2026. LOU BENOIST/Pool via REUTERS
Image
Visitors arrive during the reopening to the public of the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris on July 22, 2026.
Louvre President Christophe Leribault and France's Culture Minister Catherine Pegard stand by the door to the Apollo Gallery (Galerie d'Apollon), where French crown jewels were stolen in 2025 in a heist, during its reopening to the public, at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France, July 22, 2026. LOU BENOIST/Pool via REUTERS

Overview

  • On October 19, 2025 thieves used a boom lift to reach the Apollo Gallery, smashed windows and display cases with angle grinders, and stole eight pieces of the French crown jewels in a raid that lasted under eight minutes.
  • The Apollo Gallery reopened to visitors on July 22, 2026 with no jewels on display and the remaining crown jewels moved to a more secure, windowless vault elsewhere in the museum.
  • Only the crown of Empress Eugénie was recovered near the museum and is undergoing restoration while the other stolen items remain missing and the search continues.
  • French prosecutors have charged and detained four suspects tied to the raid, some of whom say they acted on orders from an alleged mastermind whose existence investigators are still probing.
  • The theft exposed ignored security warnings from a 2019 audit about the gallery’s balcony and street exposure, triggered new cameras and anti‑intrusion systems, contributed to leadership change at the Louvre, and has intensified debate over how to balance public access with protecting high‑value heritage.