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Louvre Confirms Water Leak Damaged Hundreds of Egyptology Volumes

Officials attribute the incident to an obsolete HVAC valve slated for replacement from September 2026.

Overview

  • The leak, discovered on November 26 in the Mollien wing, affected between 300 and 400 works, with the final count still under way.
  • The damaged materials are Egyptology journals and scientific documentation from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with no unique heritage artefacts involved and no irreparable losses reported so far.
  • The museum has opened an internal investigation, and the faulty system had been shut down for months.
  • Affected items will be dried, restored by a bookbinder, and returned to the shelves.
  • The incident follows an October jewel heist and recent structural issues, as the Louvre raises most non‑EU ticket prices to €32 to help fund upgrades expected to add up to $23 million in annual revenue.