The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France after a spectacular daylight heist exposed woeful flaws in the museum's security.
On Friday, a secret police escort oversaw the transfer of some of the remaining jewels to the Bank, located about 500 meters from the museum. The jewels will now be securely stored 26 meters below ground level in the Bank’s vault, which houses 90% of France’s gold reserves along with other national treasures, worth an estimated €600 million (£520 million).
The Souterraine, as the vault is known, is designed to withstand various attacks. Its entrance is protected by a 50cm-thick, seven-tonne door made of flame-resistant concrete, reinforced with steel. Beyond it lies a 35-tonne rotating concrete turret that prevents forced entry.
Last Sunday, masked thieves used an angle grinder to breach a reinforced window in the Louvre’s Gallery of Apollo, stealing treasures including a necklace owned by Napoleon's wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, valued at €88 million (£77 million).
They employed a mechanical ladder mounted on a truck to access the second-floor balcony and gain entry to the gallery.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed confidence that the thieves would be apprehended. Despite official assurances that security measures were effective on the day of the robbery, Louvre director Laurence des Cars admitted to vulnerabilities in the museum's aging infrastructure. Notably, she reported that the security camera monitoring the break-in site was not adequately positioned.
