Paris.- The Louvre Museum Announced the immediate closure to the public of the Campana Fairone of its most spacious and symbolic rooms, after A New technical report A warning about “special fragility” Of several beams supporting the floors On the second floor of the south wing.
The measure taken “As a precaution” It is a series of nine rooms located on the banks of the Seine, which house a series of the museum’s most important collections of ancient Greek ceramics.
The resolution also includes Urgent evacuation of 65 employees whose offices operate on the top floor of the affected sector. As the Public Institution of the Louvre Museum (EPML) explained, the Sully Quadrangle had been under structural surveillance for years due to its complex architectural design and interventions carried out in the 1930s, which today represent weak points.
The report, delivered on November 14, warns that A Recent deteriorationstill For no specific reasonThis prompted the museum’s chief architect to request the immediate closure of the space.
The Louvre administration confirmed that a new series of complementary studies had already been activated Identify the source of damage and determine the necessary work. There is still no date for reopening. For the exhibition, named after the Marquis Giampietro Campana, whose origins were fundamental in shaping the museum’s collections during the 19th century.
This announcement comes just one month after another incident that profoundly changed the activity of the Louvre Museum: A stunning robbery of the French Crown Jewels It happened on October 19, which The museum was forced to partially close for two days.
On that day, four thieves parked a forklift in front of one of the balconies of the Apollo Gallery, and two of them climbed over it and, using a saw, managed to get inside through the window.
Within minutes, The attackers fled with eight historical items, including a pearl diadem from Empress Eugenie and a set of ruby necklaces and earrings from Queen Maria Amelia.. The value of the stolen items is estimated at More than $100 million. So far, three suspects have been arrested and charged, but the jewelry is still missing.
The coup exposed security failures that led to the temporary closure of specific sectors of the museum and sparked a national debate about the vulnerability of the symbolic building.
In early November, the Court of Accounts – France’s court of auditors – published a report review Which Questions the museum’s management of priorities between 2018 and 2024. The document warns that The organization preferred “visible and attractive processes.”such as art collections or museum projects, Above building maintenance and updating protection systems.
According to the president of the court, Pierre Moscovici, the theft of October 19 constitutes ‘A deafening wake-up call’. The report explains that The security systems were beyond current standardsthat its modernization was planned but repeatedly postponed and that only a limited part of the museum has adequate security. In 2024, only 39% of theaters had cameras installed.
The organization estimates that modernizing security systems requires a An investment of $95 millionFrom her Only 3.5 million were executed in six years. He also confirms that the theft was not due to a lack of staff, but rather due to technical faults and old equipment.
The museum responded that the audit did not take into account the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, forcing it to adapt priorities and delay key decisions. However, the department said it accepted most of the court’s recommendations and claimed to have initiated improvements in the past three years, such as installing 134 new digital cameras.
After the robbery, the head of the museum. lawrence De Cars, He publicly admitted that outdoor video surveillance was “Very inadequate” He called an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors. The corporation also indicated that modernization work was scheduled to begin weeks after the theft.
The sudden closure of the Campana gallery once again puts the Louvre at the center of controversy Preserving its architectural heritage and efficient management. As structural studies progress and the security plan accelerates, the museum faces two simultaneous challenges: protecting its collections and proving its ability to ensure the security of a building dating back more than eight centuries and receiving nearly nine million visitors annually.
AFP, AP and ANSA
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