Louvre transfers $102M jewels to Bank of France vault after daylight heist

Following a daylight robbery at the Louvre's Gallery of Apollo, where thieves stole crown jewels valued at approximately $102 million, the museum has transferred its remaining valuable jewels to the Bank of France for safekeeping. The jewels are now secured in the Bank’s “Souterraine” vault, located about 26 meters underground, which also houses 90% of France’s gold reserves and other national treasures such as Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks. The vault is heavily fortified with a 50cm-thick, seven-tonne flame-resistant concrete door reinforced with steel, and a 35-tonne rotating concrete turret designed to prevent forced entry. The robbery exposed significant security flaws at the Louvre, with thieves using power tools and a mechanical ladder to break in during visiting hours. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed confidence that the suspects will be apprehended, while the Louvre director acknowledged the museum's aging security infrastructure. This transfer aims to protect the nation’s precious artifacts more securely after the high-profile heist.