The theft at the Louvre, one of the world's most famous museums in Paris, the capital of France, has knocked the entire country out of consciousness. According to the New York Times, the Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Culture assess this incident as "not just a material, but a historical loss."
Prosecutor Lor Becco stated that the value of the stolen items is approximately 88 million euros. "This is, of course, a huge sum. But historical losses cannot be measured in money," he said in an interview with journalists.
According to reports, the incident occurred on the morning of October 19. The thieves, using a mechanical ladder, climbed to the second floor of the Louvre, opened the window, and entered the Apollo Gallery. In just a few minutes, they took away 8 unique works.
Jewelry stolen from the Louvre Museum
Among the stolen items were a royal sapphire necklace, earrings decorated with emeralds, and a diadem worn by Empress Eugenia, the wife of Napoleon III.
Currently, the criminals have not yet been apprehended. The investigation is being conducted on the trail of an organized criminal group. The prosecutor's office also announced the expansion of the investigative team from 60 to 100 people.
Specialists emphasize that such thefts are often committed not for the cultural or aesthetic value of the work, but for the purpose of selling them in small quantities or by smelting. Prosecutor Becco also confirmed this point, stating that "if the items are burned or dismantled, their true value cannot be restored."
At the same time, according to the investigation, the thieves took the electric ladder installed in the truck under the pretext of "moving" and threw away the person who came for inspection. Interestingly, the person who rented this ladder later filed a complaint with the police department located 35 km from Paris.
According to the French Ministry of Culture, the stolen items were not insured. This is common for public collections - because the cost of insurance is very high. Representatives of the ministry emphasized that "the state itself acts as an insurer, as cases of damage to such works are very rare."
Currently, the Paris police assess this crime as the country's largest cultural loss in the last decade. The Louvre's management, however, stated that they haven't lost hope of destroying the stolen works and potentially rediscovering them.
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