The Louvre on Tuesday fitted metal grilles to the windows of the Apollo Gallery, the section of the Paris landmark where thieves broke in and made off with French crown jewels in a high-profile heist.
“This is one of the emergency measures decided after the theft,” the museum’s deputy administrator Francis Steinbock told AFP.
Early in the morning, workers positioned a large metal grille using a crane, securing it to the gallery’s tall French door windows from the balcony.
“We had committed to doing it before the end of the year,” Steinbock said, adding that discussions are ongoing about “securing the other windows” of the museum.
Removed during earlier restoration
Louvre director Laurence des Cars told lawmakers last week that the grille would be reinstalled “before Christmas.” She noted that a similar protective barrier had been removed during restoration work on the Apollo Gallery in 2003–2004.
Security under scrutiny after October robbery
The newly installed bars are the latest in a series of security measures introduced in recent months, as the museum’s safety standards have come under intense scrutiny following the October 19 heist.
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During the robbery, thieves parked a truck equipped with an extendable ladder beneath the Apollo Gallery. They climbed up, broke a window and used angle grinders to cut into glass display cases containing the French crown jewels. The stolen items have not yet been recovered.
Police presence and surveillance upgrades
Steinbock said a police unit has since been deployed at the Louvre, while a project to expand video surveillance across the museum is currently underway. Last week, the museum also announced that additional anti-intrusion measures around the site had been completed.
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