A late-November water leak damaged several hundred items in the Louvre’s Egyptian department, the museum confirmed to AFP. The incident affected 300–400 research materials, mainly Egyptology journals and scientific documentation dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While these resources are important for scholarship, the museum stressed that no heritage artifacts were harmed and that no permanent losses have been identified so far.
The leak, discovered on November 26, occurred when a valve in the museum’s outdated heating and ventilation system was accidentally opened, causing water to seep through the ceiling of the Mollien wing. The system, described as “completely obsolete,” has been shut down for months and is scheduled for replacement in 2026. The damaged materials will be dried, restored by specialists, and returned to storage.
The incident comes only weeks after a high-profile theft in October, when a four-person gang stole an estimated $102 million in jewels in a seven-minute daylight raid—an event that heightened scrutiny of the Louvre’s ageing infrastructure.
To support long-term improvements, the museum recently announced that most non-EU visitors will face a ticket price increase to €32, a 45% rise expected to generate up to $23 million annually. The Louvre remains the world’s most visited museum, drawing 8.7 million visitors in 2024, nearly 70% of them international travelers.
