Louvre reopens gallery after heist but no jewels to see

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.