Paris’ Louvre Museum reopened its Apollo Gallery to the public on Wednesday, marking the first time visitors were allowed in since Ocotber 2025, when robbers stole €88 million ($102 million) worth of crown jewels in a dramatic daytime heist.
The Louvre is world’s most visited museum, with guest numbers of up to 9 million a year.
It was originally a royal palace, which was opened to the public during the French Revolution. The museum houses the Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous pieces of art.
The October 2025 heist shocked the world as the thieves used a crane mounted on a truck to enter the museum through a window at 9:30 a.m., when the museum was still opening.
The group broke in through the window, equipped with power tools like a disc cutter, and stole French crown jewels.
Precious jewels relocated
On their way out, the thieves dropped a 170-year-old crown commissioned by Napoleon III as part of a pair of crowns for him and his wife, Empress Eugenie.
The crown was left “badly deformed,” the Louvre said, but it was nevertheless “nearly intact” and could be restored. The crown was among other objects that were not taken from the gallery.
Museum operators said the Apollo Gallery will return to its 17th-century original ceremonial purpose, without any of the precious jewels or other objects on display.
The public will be able to tour the majestic room and view its gilded ceilings and Greek frescoes.
The Louvre’s director, Christophe Leribault, said the former exhibits have been relocated elsewhere in the museum.
“It’s also an opportunity to rediscover the splendid architecture and decor of this gallery,” Leribault said.
The Apollo Gallery is considered one of the most marvelous areas of the Louvre, with ceilings designed by Charles Le Brun and later added to by, among others, French painter Eugene Delacroix.
A ‘trauma for the entire world’
Leribault took over from former director Laurence des Cars, who resigned in the aftermath of the heist, which highlighted a string of security failures within the museum.
French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard referred to the heist as a “sinister day,” adding that it cannot be forgotten.
“It was a trauma for the entire world, which, for several days, expressed its shock and sadness in every language. It was a trauma for us, discovering the fragility of a place we thought unshakeable, and which, like so many others, proved vulnerable,” Pegard said.
Authorities have boosted security at the museum, having added new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems.
Security improvements are part of the museum’s decade-long modernization plan, estimated to cost up to €800 million.
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
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