Over 20,000 Crowd Before Mona Lisa Each Day... Why the Louvre Suddenly Closed Its Doors

More Than Twice the Museum's Capacity Last Year
Staff Say, "We Must Protect Employees as Well as Artworks"
Operations Expected to Resume on the 18th

Night view of the Louvre Museum. Louvre official website

The Louvre Museum in France, which boasts the highest number of visitors in the world, has decided to temporarily close its doors. This decision comes as staff have repeatedly voiced complaints that they can no longer work due to the overwhelming crowds.

According to AP News on June 17 (local time), on June 16, Louvre Museum employees suddenly declared a strike during a monthly meeting. Most on-site staff, including gallery attendants, ticket sellers, and security personnel, refused to work and left their posts, citing uncontrollable crowds and chronic understaffing as reasons.

It is rare for the Louvre Museum to close. It has only shut its doors during wartime, the pandemic, and several strikes, such as a voluntary strike over overcrowding in 2019 and a strike over safety concerns in 2013. However, it is almost unprecedented for the museum to close so suddenly and in front of so many people.

One of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces, the Mona Lisa, is exhibited at the Louvre Museum. Louvre Museum

The congestion around the museum's most famous piece, the Mona Lisa, is particularly severe. An average of 20,000 people crowd into the exhibition room each day, holding up their phones to take photos. One tourist said, "All I can see are phones and elbows, and eventually, I just get pushed to the back."

Last year, the Louvre Museum welcomed 8.7 million visitors, which is more than double the facility's designed capacity. Even though daily attendance is capped at 30,000, staff have complained about a lack of rest areas and toilets, and the greenhouse effect of the glass pyramid intensifies the summer heat, making the museum a daily test of patience.

Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre Museum, stated in a memo, "Some parts of the building are no longer waterproof. Fluctuations in temperature are putting valuable artworks at risk," and added, "Basic visitor needs such as food, toilets, and signage fall far short of international standards. This experience amounts to nothing more than 'physical suffering.'"