The Apollo Gallery at France’s Louvre Museum has reopened to visitors for the first time since the dramatic theft of royal jewels valued at an estimated €88 million last October.
Visitors following the route to Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa can once again enter the grand gallery, renowned for its gilded ceilings, elaborate decoration and murals inspired by Greek mythology. However, the royal jewels that once formed one of the gallery’s principal attractions have not been returned.
Museum officials have also removed the display cases that previously housed the jewels, meaning visitors no longer encounter either the missing collection or the empty showcases where the treasures were once exhibited.
The theft of the French Crown Jewels became one of the Louvre’s most high-profile security incidents in recent years, attracting widespread attention from the media and French cultural authorities. The stolen collection has an estimated value of €88 million.
Although the historic gallery has now reopened, the whereabouts of the royal jewels remain unknown. For now, one of the Louvre’s most celebrated exhibition halls continues to welcome visitors without one of its most valuable and iconic collections.
