The Louvre Museum in Paris reopened its Galerie d'Apollon (Apollo Gallery) on July 22, 2026, nearly nine months after a heist stole French crown jewels valued at approximately €88 million (around USD 102 million) including a crown worth over $100 million [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
On October 19, 2025, robbers disguised as construction workers used a truck with a mechanical lift to enter the Apollo Gallery via a balcony. They stole eight crown jewels and escaped on motorcycles in under seven minutes [1, 2, 4, 5].
Four suspects believed to be responsible have been arrested and charged, but the stolen jewels remain missing. Only a damaged crown was found near the museum and is currently under restoration [1, 3, 4].
The Apollo Gallery reopened without any crown jewels on display, reverting to its original 17th-century decor and use as a state gallery. Louvre president Christophe Leribault said, "This is an iconic space within the Louvre, but it will no longer house the Crown Jewels and gemstones, which are to be displayed in secure areas elsewhere in the museum" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Leribault added the museum plans to build a secure, windowless vault in another part of the complex to exhibit the remaining non-stolen jewelry. "It’s a major construction project and we have to find the ideal location. And the funding," he said [2].
The heist exposed major security flaws, triggering an internal crisis that led to the replacement of Louvre president Laurence des Cars with Christophe Leribault in late 2025 [2, 5]. Earlier that year, a parliamentary commission had highlighted security issues at French museums including the Louvre [2, 5].
French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard called the theft "a global trauma" and pledged to strengthen museum security nationwide [2, 4]. The Louvre receives about 9 million visitors annually [2, 5].
