Two months after the heist at the Louvre, a grille installed on the window of the Apollo gallery

A protective grille was installed Tuesday morning on the French window of the Apollon gallery of the Louvre, used by the burglars during the spectacular jewelry theft of October 19, noted an AFP journalist. “This is one of the emergency measures decided after the theft”Francis Steinbock, deputy general administrator of the museum, told AFP.

At the start of the morning, workers installed on a balcony received an imposing grille mounted by a bucket truck to attach it to the French window. “We made a commitment to do it before the end of the year”added the manager, specifying that the operation had been led by François Châtillon, the chief architect of the historic monuments of the Louvre. Of the “reflections” are underway regarding the “securing other windows”he continued.

Police officers during the end-of-year holidays

The president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, assured the senators last week that a gate would be replaced “before Christmas”. She specified that the previous one had been removed in 2003-2004, during major restoration work on the Apollo gallery.

As announced, a mobile police station is now deployed in the Cour Napoléon. “It will be present throughout the end-of-year holiday period as well as during peak attendance”confirmed Francis Steinbock. Another major project: the strengthening of video surveillance on the facades of the palace. “We announced a system of around a hundred cameras positioned around the palace. The contract has been signed and installation can begin throughout 2026”he clarified. Last week, the Louvre also announced the completion of the installation of anti-intrusion devices around the museum.

On October 19, four criminals managed to approach the building in a lifting truck and hoist two of them up to the Apollo gallery using a cherry picker. After cutting out a window with a grinder, they stole eight jewels from the Crown of France. The loot, estimated at 88 million euros, remains untraceable.

Since then, the security of the most visited museum in the world has been at the heart of criticism, the robbery having revealed a series of failures. The thieves could have been stopped “within 30 seconds”said Noël Corbin, head of the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs (Igac), in mid-December.