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Louvre Reopens Apollo Gallery Without Crown Jewels

Museum officials removed the royal jewels to prioritise security, placing surviving pieces in a windowless vault elsewhere in the building.

Visitors stand near the window which was broken in the 2025 heist in which French crown jewels were stolen from the Apollo Gallery (Galerie d'Apollon), during the gallery's reopening to the public, at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France, July 22, 2026. LOU BENOIST/Pool via REUTERS
Image
Visitors arrive during the reopening to the public of the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris on July 22, 2026.
Louvre President Christophe Leribault and France's Culture Minister Catherine Pegard stand by the door to the Apollo Gallery (Galerie d'Apollon), where French crown jewels were stolen in 2025 in a heist, during its reopening to the public, at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France, July 22, 2026. LOU BENOIST/Pool via REUTERS

Overview

  • The Apollo Gallery reopened to visitors on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, but the display cases and crown jewels taken in last October’s raid are no longer on view.
  • On October 19, 2025 thieves used a truck-mounted lift to reach a second-floor balcony, smashed a window, cut open glass cases with angle grinders and fled on scooters in under eight minutes.
  • A 2019 internal audit had warned the gallery was vulnerable because of its balcony and street-side exposure and museum CCTV did not cover the entry point, flaws that the robbery exposed.
  • French investigators have arrested multiple suspects, four people have been charged and held in custody, and only Empress Eugénie’s damaged crown has been recovered and is undergoing restoration while other pieces remain missing.
  • The reopening reflects a shift in policy: Christophe Leribault’s leadership is prioritising security upgrades and relocation of the jewels into a secure, windowless vault as part of broader Louvre New Renaissance plans and a government push to strengthen museum protection nationwide.