07.12.2025 20:48
The world-famous Louvre Museum, located in the heart of Paris, has been shaken this time by a neglect scandal. A leak in the museum's aging water pipes left hundreds of rare books submerged in the Egyptian artifacts library. It has been announced that the issues with the museum's plumbing have been known for a long time, and maintenance and repairs are scheduled to take place in 2026.
The world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris, the capital of France, is once again in the spotlight due to a maintenance scandal. A leak in the museum's plumbing, which has been known to be problematic for years, has led to damage to approximately 400 rare books in the library of the Egyptian antiquities section.
Louvre Deputy General Manager Francis Steinbock stated that the leak affected one of the three library rooms, mentioning that there are between 300 and 400 artifacts in the area. Steinbock, expressing that investigations are ongoing, claimed that there are no highly valuable books among the damaged items.
PLUMBING ISSUES HAVE BEEN CONTINUING FOR YEARS
However, museum staff and experts reacted to the fact that long-known plumbing issues have still not been resolved. Steinbock admitted that maintenance and repair work is only planned to take place in September 2026, further increasing the backlash.
LOUVRE HEIST
The world-renowned Louvre Museum, which hosts thousands of visitors daily and displays approximately 35,000 works of art, was the scene of a heist on October 19.
In the early morning hours, four unidentified thieves used a freight elevator of a truck outside the museum to break into the area known as the Apollo Gallery, where the Royal jewels are displayed, by breaking a window. The thieves stole nine pieces of jewelry worth a total of 88 million euros, and during their escape, they dropped a crown belonging to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
The crown was found outside the museum in damaged condition. The heist lasted 7 minutes, and the thieves escaped on motorcycles. Following the robbery, the museum was temporarily closed for security reasons and resumed accepting visitors three days later after inspections were completed. Police arrested four individuals in connection with the heist.