Following a recent theft, the Louvre Museum has relocated some of its valuable jewels to the Bank of France, raising questions about the museum’s security measures. Reports indicate that a covert police escort managed the transfer of the jewels to the Bank, located approximately 500 meters from the museum, on Friday. The jewels will now be stored in the Bank’s secure vault, situated 26 meters underground in central Paris.
This vault, known as the “Souterraine,” is designed to withstand various types of attacks and houses around 90% of France’s gold reserves, alongside important documents like Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks. The estimated value of the vault’s contents is about €600 million. The security features of this vault include a 50-centimeter-thick door made of flame-resistant concrete, reinforced with steel, and a 35-ton rotating concrete turret designed to inhibit forced entry.
The daylight heist at the Louvre occurred on Sunday, when masked individuals utilized an angle grinder to break into the Gallery of Apollo, home to France’s crown jewels. In just eight minutes, the thieves managed to seize items valued at €88 million, including a necklace that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise and a diadem from Empress Eugenie. The thieves accessed the gallery using a mechanical ladder attached to a truck.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed confidence in the authorities’ efforts to apprehend the thieves. Meanwhile, although officials claim security protocols were adhered to on the day of the incident, Louvre Director Laurence des Cars indicated concerns about the museum’s aging infrastructure. Notably, she mentioned that the only security camera monitoring the area surrounding the break-in was misaligned.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmxkl94w3zo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss