A spectacular robbery took place at the Louvre Museum, in the heart of Paris, where the perpetrators stole jewelry from the collection of Napoleon and Empress Eugénie in just seven minutes. It is reported that the thieves failed to take the famous “Régent” diamond — the largest gem in the collection, weighing over 140 carats.
This particular diamond is also known as “the cursed one,” as those who once owned it did not meet a good end.
Thefts at the Louvre are rare due to strict security measures, but they have happened before. The most famous robbery remains the one in 1911, when Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa was stolen.
The poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the painter Pablo Picasso were questioned by the police. However, the culprit turned out to be an Italian man who wanted the painting to be returned to Italy. The artwork was found three years later in Florence and brought back to Paris. At that time, the painting was not as famous as it is today.
Also, in 1983, several 16th-century suits of armor disappeared and were not rediscovered until 2011. A painting by the 19th-century artist Camille Corot was stolen in 1998. The painting, “Le Chemin de Sèvres. Vue de Paris,” was taken off the wall without anyone noticing. The theft led to an increase in security measures, but the painting has still not been found.
The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world, with 30,000 visitors per day and around 9 million annually by 2024 — 80% of whom were tourists.
