24.02.2026 22:55
It was reported that Laurence des Cars, the director of the Louvre Museum, where historical artifacts were stolen a few months ago in France, has submitted her resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron. Following des Cars' resignation, recent events at the world-famous museum have come back into the spotlight.
A new development has occurred regarding the Louvre Museum, which has been in the news recently due to thefts, worker strikes, and water leakage issues.
RESIGNED TO MACRON
In a statement from the Elysee Palace, it was reported that Laurence des Cars has resigned from her position at the Louvre Museum, which she managed. The statement indicated that des Cars submitted her resignation letter to Macron, who accepted her resignation and expressed his satisfaction with this responsible action during a time when the museum needed tranquility.
The statement also expressed that the world-renowned cultural institution needed a new initiative as part of its efforts to make the museum safer and more modern. Additionally, it was reported that Macron assigned des Cars to work on cooperation among major museums of member countries during France's G7 presidency.
HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS WERE STOLEN
The world-famous Louvre Museum, which exhibits approximately 35,000 artifacts, was robbed on October 19, 2025. During the theft, 9 items of "priceless" value were stolen from the section known as the Apollo Gallery, where royal jewels are displayed. A crown belonging to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which was considered to have been dropped by the thieves while escaping, was later found damaged outside the museum. The theft, carried out by 4 thieves who escaped with 8 historically valuable jewels, lasted 7 minutes.
In a preliminary report prepared by the Court of Accounts, it was noted that there were "continuous" and "significant delays" in providing technical equipment compliant with security standards for the museum, creating a security gap. The individuals who stole the historical artifacts from the Louvre Museum were captured one by one about 2 weeks after the theft, but the artifacts were not found.
THE PASSWORD "LOUVRE" WAS REVEALED
On the other hand, it was revealed that the reason the thieves were able to illegally access the security networks was that the museum used passwords that the French National Cybersecurity Agency described as "simple." It was determined that the password used to access the server providing video surveillance of the museum was "LOUVRE," while the password used to access software programs published by Thales was "THALES."
MUSEUM HAD BEEN IN THE NEWS DUE TO WATER LEAKAGE ISSUES
On November 26, 2025, there was a water leak in the museum's library, which houses artifacts from ancient Egypt, damaging various books and documents. Due to serious water leakage detected in section 707 of the Duchatel area of the Louvre Museum, some parts of the institution were closed to visitors on February 13. The section where the water leakage was detected contained numerous artifacts from the 15th and 16th centuries.
OPERATION AGAINST THE "TICKET FRAUD" NETWORK THAT DEFRAUDED MUSEUM VISITORS
On February 10, the police detained 9 individuals, including 2 museum employees, in an operation against a large-scale "ticket fraud" network identified as defrauding visitors at the Louvre Museum. The Paris Prosecutor's Office reported that legal proceedings had been initiated against 9 individuals related to the ticket fraud network at the Louvre Museum for various crimes such as "organized fraud," "participation in a criminal organization," and "active corruption." The prosecutor's office stated that one of the individuals had been arrested, while the other 8 were released under judicial control.