Paris: Robbers entered the Louvre – the world’s largest museum – in Paris, France, soon after it opened on Sunday, and made off with nine pieces of jewellery. The museum has been shut for the day, French culture minister Rachida Dati said.
While details are sketchy, French media are reporting that three masked men broke into the Louvre shortly after opening time and used a goods lift to get access to the Apollo Gallery, on the Seine River side of the museum. That is where what remains of France’s crown jewels are kept.
The thieves, carrying small chainsaws, are said to have left with nine items of jewellery. They apparently escaped on a motor-scooter. A search has been launched and the value of the haul is being evaluated.
According to BBC, the museum covers an area of nearly 73,000 square metres of exhibition space – more than the size of ten football pitches. It was originally built in 1546 as a palace for the French royal family. King Francis I, its first resident, was a lover of art and intended the Louvre to showcase his collection.
Subsequent kings greatly expanded the crown’s art holdings, with Louis XIV even acquiring the art collection of English King Charles I, after his execution in the English Civil War. The collection remained mainly private until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, and in 1793 the Louvre opened as a public art gallery.
Today, the Louvre displays more than 35,000 works of art – including the famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci – and attracts nearly 30,000 visitors daily.
