TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The management of the Louvre Museum has moved some of the most valuable jewelry to the Bank of France, as reported by French radio RTL, quoted by Metro.co.uk. The transfer was made to ensure the security of the valuable gems following a brutal robbery last week.
Several valuable items were transferred from the Louvre's Apollo Gallery on Friday, October 24, 2025, under the escort of secret police. The Bank of France was deemed safer. The central bank also stores the country's gold reserves in a large underground vault, just 500 meters from the Louvre.
The priceless Crown of France was stolen from the Louvre Museum in broad daylight. The thieves used electrical tools to break into the world's most visited museum.
The theft revealed the security weaknesses of the museum. Initial reports revealed that there were no CCTV cameras in one of the three breached areas of the museum.
8 Stolen Items
French authorities said that eight items were stolen during the incident. Among the stolen items was the wedding crown of Empress Eugenie, adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds and 200 pearls, as well as a sapphire and diamond diadem worn by Queen Marie-Amelie. Other missing items include an emerald and diamond necklace, a gift from Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810, along with matching earrings, a reliquary brooch, and a large diamond-studded corset ribbon.
The ninth piece, one of Eugenie's crowns, fell as the robbers fled. The crown was spared from theft but was damaged.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuez stated that the stolen jewelry is invaluable and holds an immeasurable heritage value. However, jewelry experts estimate the stolen items to be worth 88 million euros (around Rp1.7 trillion).
The Louvre Museum is the most visited in the world. Last year, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors. The museum also grapples with mass tourism, staff strikes, and acts of vandalism, including the 2024 protest when activists threw soup at the Mona Lisa painting.