Louvre heist: Window used to loot ₹894 cr jewellery attracts visitors, netizens say 'Paris has a new tourist attraction'

Visitors queued outside the Louvre Museum in Paris this week for its reopening, but attention shifted from its celebrated artworks to the aftermath of the dramatic heist. The broken window, a visible consequence of the robbery, has unexpectedly become a tourist draw for some visitors.

Days earlier, thieves stole Napoleonic jewellery valued at ₹896 crore ($102 million) in a bold daytime robbery, leaving a damaged glass windowpane at the centre of public curiosity. The museum, known globally for its collection of Western art, resumed operations on Wednesday, 22 October, although parts remain inaccessible as authorities investigate.

Crowds gathered to glimpse the aftermath, but the Apollo gallery doors stayed closed. Videos and photos of the broken window have now gone viral on social media. A user wrote: "Photo taken just now on site. So, the window of the Louvre looting gallery is just a basic glazing with a blind in a 19th century frame?" 

"Looks like they used a large Stihl concrete cutting saw to cut through the Louvre Museum glass window which appears to be a shatterproof glass," a user claimed. 

"So robbing the Louvre was as simple as climbing to the 2nd floor, smashing the window glass, entering the museum, smashing the glass cases and taking the items? No lasers? No metal bars? I mean, for a multi-million dollar museum, I’m shocked it was that simple," a fellow social media user wondered. 

"People are always curious… Tourists gathered across from the window where thieves broke into the world-famous Louvre museum to get a look at the damage and snap a photo," a netizen said.

Three grey panels now obscure the tampered window through which the perpetrators broke in. Museum staff directed visitors while security measures appeared heightened amid ongoing inquiries.

Laurence des Cars, the museum's director, told the French Senate on Wednesday that security systems had not detected the burglars in time. She announced plans to seek greater police support on-site to respond more effectively to future threats.

Des Cars criticised the existing surveillance, particularly outside the affected gallery. She explained that the CCTV system failed to monitor the approach used by the thieves during the heist.

She said it “didn’t cover the balcony”, highlighting the oversight that allowed the burglars access to the building. This failure in coverage is now a key focus as investigators examine the break-in.