A Water leak in it Louvre Museum damaged several hundred documents in the library Egyptian antiques, He told the agency this on Sunday AFP The Paris museum, which is under fire after a spectacular jewelry theft in October.
“Between 300 and 400 documents” were affected, said Francis Steinbock, the museum’s deputy general manager.
The incident occurred on November 27th, but was only reported by the specialized media this Sunday The Tribune de l’Art.
According to Capricorn, it is “Egyptological Journals” and “Scientific Documentation” used by researchers. These inserted works come from Late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“No monument protection work was damaged” He added, specifying that at this point “there are no irremediable and definitive losses in these collections.”
They are “very useful and consulted documents”, but “by no means unique in the world”he added.
The Library of Egyptian Antiquities, located in the Mollien Pavilion, is part of a study and documentation service open only to curators, historians, academics and staff of the Louvre Museum.
Damaged works will be “dried” and we will ship them later “to restore and put back on the shelves,” he pointed out.
According to the museum, the water leak was discovered on November 26th in the water network that supplies the library’s heating and ventilation systems.
The cause was that a valve in this system was accidentally opened, causing a leak in a pipe in the ceiling of one of the rooms.
Since it is “completely outdated,” the water pipe network has been interrupted for several months and will have to be replaced from September 2026 as part of important work that will last several months, said Steinbock.
A internal investigation will determine the exact causes that caused the leak.
On October 19th there was a spectacular theft of jewelry worth around $100 million at the Louvre.
However, the four members of the commando who committed the robbery were arrested The Jewels and the Masterminds haven’t appeared yet.
Next Wednesday, the conclusions of the administrative investigation launched to clarify the incident and possible security deficiencies will be presented in the Senate.
The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. In 2024, it welcomed 8.7 million visitors, 69% of whom were foreigners.
Days ago it was announced that the cathedral of Notre Dame has become the most visited monument in the French capital with 11 million visitors, above the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
With information from AFP and EFE
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