The Louvre opened its doors again Wednesday morning after a robbery over the weekend. However, some of its most prized treasures are still missing.
The thieves stole eight imperial pieces, including a sapphire diadem, an emerald necklace and a corsage brooch belonging to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
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Police reported the jewels, which thieves stole in a Hollywood-style heist, are valued at over $102 million. That number doesn’t even include their historical significance to France.
Investigators said the thieves used an electric ladder and basket to scale the museum’s facade. They cut through a window and smashed their way into the Apollo gallery in under eight minutes.
The New York Times reports that more than 100 investigators are searching for the culprits. Some art crime experts warn that the thieves could break up the jewelry and sell the precious stones on the black market.
Response to the theft
France’s culture minister called the theft a “wound for the nation,” saying the Louvre is more than a museum — it’s the soul of French culture.
Since the robbery, some have called into question the level of security at the Louvre, specifically its lack of surveillance cameras, the strength of its glass displays and the functionality of its alarm system.
French senators are expected to question the head of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, during a hearing on Wednesday. She has not yet publicly addressed the robbery.
The museum reopened Wednesday morning, and crowds gathered once again beneath the Louvre’s glass pyramid. However, the Apollo Gallery, the second floor room the jewels were stolen from, remains closed.
