Arts and Entertainment
By Ryan Ottiger, Newswire Intern
The Louvre, one of the most famous and historically significant museums, was robbed of an estimated $102 million worth of France’s Crown Jewels in just a matter of minutes.
The Louvre, located in Paris, France, is the most visited museum in the world. It was first constructed as a fortress in 1190 under King Philip II. Later, it was transformed into a royal palace for Charles V in the late 1300s. In the late 1700s, King Louis XVI turned the palace into a museum which opened to the public in 1793.
Since then, the museum has continued developing through its addition of new wings, construction of the iconic glass pyramid and expansion of the art collection which includes the acquisition of the well-known portrait of the Mona Lisa.
At 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 19, two men dressed as construction workers broke into the Louvre and stole several historically significant Crown Jewels. The robbed items include jewels from former Queen Maria Amalia and Empress Eugenie. Queen Maria Amalia ruled from 1738-1759, and Empress Eugenie ruled from 1853-1870 and was the wife of Napoleon III.
Other stolen items include an emerald necklace and earrings worn by Empress Marie-Louise, a brooch from Empress Eugenie, a sapphire necklace and earrings worn by Queen Maria Amalia and a reliquary brooch. During the thieves’ escape, they dropped the crown of Empress Eugenie, which is made of thousands of diamonds. The crown was recovered but suffered significant damage.
Various Crown Jewels were robbed during the Louvre Museum heist.
According to French authorities, the heist was accomplished through the intruders’ use of a basket lift. This helped them access a window at the Gallery of Apollo, which they cut through using an angle grinder. The intruders only took minutes to complete the heist where they broke through display cases, giving them access to the jewels.
Two male suspects have been arrested, and both were taken into custody and believed to be in their 30s. One of the suspects planned to flee from France, but he got arrested while trying to board a trip to Algeria.
The suspects were tracked down upon tracing numerous DNA samples. It is believed that others were involved in the heist. The total number of arrests is still ongoing and French authorities have not yet released any identities. The investigation is still continuing as authorities pursue other suspects as well as the stolen jewels.
Laurence des Cars, the museum’s director, cited the heist as a “terrible failure.” The Gallery of Apollo remains temporarily closed for criminal investigation while the remainder of the museum is currently open to the general public.
French authorities are working to recover the stolen jewels and examine whether they can be restored or not.
