On the morning of Oct. 19, 2025, the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris became the target of a shocking and bold robbery. In just 30 minutes after opening, four masked individuals disguised as construction workers entered the museum through a second-floor window. Using a ladder placed on top of a truck, the thieves used an angle grinder to cut through the glass window and gain access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery). That room contains some of the most valuable jewels in France, including items that were owned by King Louis XV and Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie.
In just seven minutes, these thieves were able to break in, steal eight pieces of jewelry, and leave, playing the perfect heist. This was the first major theft in the Louvre since 1998, when the Le chemin de Sèvres painting by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot was cut and stolen during broad daylight on May 3, 1998. The police searched hundreds of visitors, but the painting was never recovered. To this day, the painting has never been found, and police have no clue where the painting can be.
People are comparing the 2025 robbery to the 1911 Louvre robbery. In 1911, a man named Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman and former Louvre employee, hid inside the museum. When morning came, he came out of his hiding spot and took the Mona Lisa. People only realized that it had been stolen a day later. Peruggia believed that the painting belonged to Italy, not France. The museum was in complete chaos, and it took the police 2 years to recover the painting.
The thieves went in with a few items in mind: The Crown of Louis XV, the Hortensia Diamond, Jewels from Napoleon’s collection, sapphire and emerald sets, a pearl-and-diamond tiara, and a reliquary brooch. However, they made a small mistake and ended up losing one of the items. On their way out, they dropped the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. The crown, an ornate gold piece set with thousands of diamonds and emeralds, was found damaged outside the museum near the thief’s escape route. Police believe the robbers may be a part of a bigger gang that targets museums and then sells the stolen pieces to rich art collectors.
Everything they stole was between 88 to 100 million Euros, but they are considered priceless due to the historical importance and French royalty. Police fear that the items might be broken or even melted down by now, which would permanently destroy their cultural value. Police think these items weren’t chosen for their monetary value, but for their importance, as they represent the few remaining pieces of France’s original crown jewels.
More than 60 detectives are working on this case, but no suspects have been caught or found yet. This crime is making people consider the strength of the security in the Louvre, as this is not the first time something like this has happened. Museums are supposed to be a safe place where visitors can see and learn about historical artifacts, but these robberies have shown that even the most famous museum in the world can still be vulnerable. As the search for the stolen jewels continues, many hope the jewels will be found and that the museum will improve its security so something like this never happens again.
