In brief
Following a high-profile heist where thieves stole jewels worth approximately €88 million from the Louvre, authorities have transferred remaining treasures to the Bank of France's secure vault. This vault, designed to withstand attacks, houses a significant portion of France's gold reserves and national treasures. The incident has sparked criticism over the museum's security infrastructure, notably the failure of surveillance at the scene of the crime.
The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France after a spectacular daylight heist exposed woeful flaws in museum's security.
On Friday, a secret police escort oversaw the transfer of some of the remaining jewels to the Bank, located about 500m from the museum. They will now be stored in the Bank's most secure vault, 26m below ground level in its central Paris headquarters.
This vault is home to 90% of France's gold reserves and the notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, with an estimated total worth of €600 million.
The Souterraine, as the vault is known, is built to withstand all sorts of attacks. A 50cm-thick, seven-tonne door made of flame-resistant concrete and reinforced with steel secures the main shaft, behind which is a 35-tonne rotating concrete turret that prevents forced entry.
Last Sunday, masked thieves used an angle grinder to break through a reinforced window into the Louvre's Gallery of Apollo, where France's crown jewels are displayed. In a matter of minutes, they seized valuable items including a necklace that belonged to Napoleon's wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, with a combined worth of €88 million.
The thieves lifted a mechanical ladder mounted on a lorry to access a first-floor balcony and gain entry to the gallery.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed confidence that the thieves would be apprehended. However, criticism has emerged regarding the museum's inadequate security measures. The Louvre director, Laurence des Cars, noted that the sole security camera monitoring the break-in area was not positioned correctly.
