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Louvre reopens gallery after heist but no jewels to see

The Apollo Gallery is now bare after returning to its original ceremonial purpose. (AP PHOTO)

The Louvre's Apollo gallery has reopened to the public for the first time since a crown jewels heist in 2025.

The collections and precious jewels that it once displayed have been removed, as the museum said the gallery is returning to its 17th-century original ceremonial purpose.

Security at the Paris museum has been boosted with the addition of new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems.

On October 19, thieves took less than eight minutes to force their way through a window into the Apollo Gallery and steal crown jewels valued at 88 million euros ($A143 million) from the Louvre, in a weekend operation that stunned visitors ad exposed glaring security vulnerabilities.

Security improvement is a priority of the decade-long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan launched in 2025, with an estimated cost of up to 800 million euros to modernise infrastructure, ease crowding and give the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.

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