Recent Setbacks at the Louvre Museum
Just weeks after a significant jewel heist, the Louvre Museum faces another challenge—a flooding incident in its Egyptian Antiquities Library. A burst pipe caused considerable damage, impacting hundreds of rare books.
Francis Steinbock, the museum’s deputy administrator, shared with BFM TV that water flooded one of the three rooms in the Egyptian Archaeological Library. “We have identified around 300 to 400 damaged works, and the investigation is ongoing,” he mentioned. Fortunately, none of the most valuable books were lost, though many periodicals and archaeological journals, frequently used by Egyptologists, were affected.
Steinbock noted that staff are currently assessing the full extent of the damage and are working to dry out the flooded books. This involves a meticulous process of dehumidifying each page with buffered paper and specialized equipment.
Meanwhile, as if this weren’t enough, a recent report from Art site La Tribune du Art pointed to deteriorating infrastructure as the culprit behind the flooding. They’ve indicated that the museum had been seeking funds to address these issues for a while now. Steinbock confirmed that the problem has been recognized for years, and repairs are slated for September 2026.
This leak underscores the museum’s aging infrastructure, especially after the recent daylight robbery that exposed glaring security vulnerabilities. On October 19, a gang of four managed to steal jewelry worth approximately 88 million euros ($102 million) in less than eight minutes.
In the aftermath, police apprehended four men suspected of involvement in the heist, and a woman was also charged but maintains her innocence through her lawyer.
The stolen treasures, which remain unreturned, include historical pieces like a diamond and emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise, along with jewels worn by 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugenie’s pearl and diamond tiara.
Interestingly, the imperial crown belonging to Empress Eugenie, decorated with over 1,300 diamonds, was discovered outside the museum, providing a glimmer of hope amid the chaos.
