"Crown of Empress Eugenie at the Louvre Severely Damaged as Thieves Forcibly Removed It"

Crown of Empress Eugenie, Wife of Napoleon III
Damaged as Thieves Forced It Through a Narrow Gap
Louvre: "Restoration Possible... Will Become a Symbol of Revival"

It has recently come to light that during the theft at the Louvre Museum in France last year, the crown was severely damaged in the process as the thieves tried to remove it from its display case. According to Yonhap News on January 6 (local time), citing the French daily Le Figaro, "The thieves used a cutter to break into the security glass display case where the crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Emperor Napoleon III, was exhibited, but only managed to create a narrow gap."

The crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Emperor Napoleon III. Official website of the Napoleon Foundation

According to Yonhap News, a memo written by the head of the art department the day after the incident stated, "It appears the perpetrators hastily and roughly pulled the crown while detaching it from its metal stand." In other words, the crown was not damaged by being dropped, but was severely deformed as the thieves forcibly pulled it through the narrow gap. Four palm leaf-shaped decorations were separated from the frame, one gold eagle ornament went missing, and ten small diamonds attached to the frame were found to have fallen off.

The crown is adorned with 1,354 diamonds, 56 emeralds, eight palm leaf-shaped ornaments, and eight gold eagles. It is a representative relic showcasing the splendor of the Second French Empire and the exceptional craftsmanship of the crown's jeweler at the time. Of the fallen diamonds, nine were recovered by investigators, and the spherical ornament at the top of the crown, made of diamonds and emeralds, was found to be still securely attached to the frame without damage.

Laurence des Cars, Director of the Louvre Museum, stated that the broken crown can be restored, adding, "It will take some time, but this will become a beautiful symbol of the Louvre Museum's revival."

Last December, visitors were waiting in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Photo by AP Yonhap News

In October last year, the thieves parked a ladder truck outside the Louvre Museum along the Seine River in Paris and broke into the Apollo Gallery on the second floor, stealing eight pieces of royal treasure before fleeing. These treasures have yet to be recovered. The Paris prosecutor's office estimated the value of the stolen jewels at a total of 140 billion won (approximately 100 million euros). However, since the set included royal jewels, it is assessed that "the historical loss is greater than the economic damage."

After the theft, the Louvre Museum installed security wire mesh on the exterior windows of the royal jewelry exhibition hall. In addition, starting from January 14, the admission fee for visitors from outside Europe will be raised by 45%, from the current 22 euros (about 37,000 won) to 32 euros (about 54,000 won). This measure is reportedly aimed at improving the museum's outdated security system and facilities.

Meanwhile, despite the turmoil caused by the theft, the Louvre Museum attracted 9 million visitors last year. This is an increase of 300,000 compared to 2024, when the number of visitors slightly decreased to 8.7 million due to events such as the Paris Olympics. Of the visitors, 27% were French nationals and 73% were foreigners, with about 40% of the foreign visitors coming from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA).