The Louvre Museum, one of the most recognized cultural symbols on the planet, was the scene of a daring robbery that left Parisians stunned. In just seven minutes, three thieves seized several jewels belonging to the Napoleonic collection, pieces of historical value impossible to calculate.
The assault occurred on Sunday, October 19, when the museum had just opened its doors to the public. According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, the criminals used a truck equipped with a lifting platform to reach a first-floor window, force it and enter the Apollo Gallery, where the French crown jewels are displayed.
A hit planned to the millimeter
The intervention was quick and silent. According to The New York Timesthe intruders destroyed two display cases with power tools and took at least eight pieces, including a sapphire necklace, another emerald necklace with its earrings, a diamond brooch and the famous crown of Empress Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III.
Thieves carry out an Ocean’s Eleven-type robbery at the Louvre Museum: in just 7 minutes they took 9 jewels of Napoleon and the Empress Josephine. They used a forklift to get in and fled, leaving Eugenia’s damaged crown behind. France speaks of the “theft of the century.” #LouvreHeist pic.twitter.com/GAkSoVP5SH
— Global Network News (@illuminnatii) October 19, 2025
The piece, a masterpiece of imperial goldsmithing with more than 1,300 diamonds and 56 emeralds, appeared hours later near the museum, damaged after the assailants fled.
The venue’s alarms were activated correctly and the employees followed the security protocol, according to the French Ministry of Culture. No one was injured, but the Louvre closed its doors for the rest of the day to preserve evidence and facilitate the investigation.
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The imperial loot
The stolen collection included jewelry that belonged to emblematic figures of the 19th century, such as Empress María Luisa, Queen Hortensia of Holland and Queen María Amelia, as well as Eugenia de Montijo herself.
The BBC He explained that the group acted with a simple but effective modus operandi, typical of professional bands that previously study the structure of the place. After the robbery, the criminals tried to set fire to the truck they used, although a museum employee managed to prevent it.
A series of thefts that worries French museums
The robbery occurs at a delicate time for the security of the country’s cultural heritage. In recent months, France has suffered several thefts of art and historical objects: in September, criminals took gold in mineral form from the Museum of Natural History in Paris, valued at about $700,000; and weeks later, porcelain worth more than six million euros disappeared from a museum in Limoges.
This case, considered the most daring theft at the Louvre since the disappearance of the Mona Lisa in 1911, has generated global shock and exposes the failures in the protection of one of the most important artistic heritages in the world.