Paris Louvre Faces Infrastructure Scrutiny After Water Leak Hits Archives

Paris Louvre Faces Infrastructure Scrutiny After Water Leak Hits Archives
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A water leak discovered in late November damaged several hundred research materials in the Louvre’s Egyptian department, the Paris museum said, according to The Guardian. The incident occurred on 26 November and affected “300 to 400” items, including Egyptology journals and scientific documentation used by scholars, museum deputy administrator Francis Steinbock confirmed.

The damaged works, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were described as valuable research resources but not unique artefacts. Steinbock stressed that no heritage objects or historical pieces from the museum’s collections were harmed, and that none of the affected materials appear to be beyond repair.

The leak came weeks after an October theft in which a four-member group stole jewellery valued at roughly $102 million in a daylight raid, prompting renewed concerns about the museum’s ageing infrastructure. The Louvre said an internal investigation is under way. The leak was traced to the accidental opening of a valve in the heating and ventilation system, causing water to seep through the ceiling of the Mollien wing where the documents were stored.

The system, considered “completely obsolete,” had been shut down for months and is scheduled for replacement in 2026. The museum said the damaged materials will be dried, restored and returned to storage. In November, the Louvre also announced a 45% ticket price increase for most non-EU visitors, aimed at raising funds for structural improvements. The museum received 8.7 million visitors in 2024, most of them from abroad.