A water leak at the Louvre Museum damaged several hundred books held in the library of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities.
The incident occurred on November 26, but the leak has only just been disclosed.
A valve was accidentally opened on a dormant section of the museum’s heating and ventilation system, causing water to flow through obsolete pipes and seep through the ceiling of one of the department’s three library rooms in the Mollien Wing.
Between 300 and 400 volumes were affected, primarily 19th- and 20th-century Egyptology journals, archaeological reports, and reference works used by researchers.
Museum staff responded immediately.
Affected books were removed, pages were dried individually, and dehumidifiers were deployed to prevent mould.
The volumes have since been transferred to specialist restorers for further treatment.
Hélène Guichard, director of the Egyptian Antiquities Department, stated: “No ancient works were affected. The rapid and professional intervention of the Louvre’s teams greatly limited the damage.”
Francis Steinbock, deputy administrator of the Louvre, told French media that the books were not rare first editions but were essential working tools for Egyptologists.
The leaking pipes had been out of service for months and were scheduled for replacement in September 2026. The museum has opened an internal investigation to establish the exact circumstances.
The incident follows a major jewellery theft in broad daylight on October 19 202, where French crown jewels worth an estimated €88 million was stolen, raising questions on the security and maintenance of the famous museum.
The jewels were kept in the Apollo Gallery of the museum. The robbers put a vehicle with an extension ladder beneath the gallery, climbed up, smashed a window, and used angle grinders to cut into the glass display cases holding the treasures.
Authorities have so far not recovered the stolen jewels.
In November, there was a temporary closure of part of the Greek antiquities wing due to structural concerns.
Later that month, the museum decided to increase ticket prices by 45 per cent for non-EU visitors.
Pierre Moscovici, head of France’s highest Court of Accounts, has been highly critical for the Louvre, and said that the museum does not have sufficient funds to modernise its infrastructure due to excessive spending on works of art.
He called the heist a “deafening wake-up call” and said that museum security moved at a “woefully inadequate pace”.
In the midst of political crisis, France suffers humiliation of jewel theft at the Louvre, writes @DavidGHFrost pic.twitter.com/dvkMBNk5qD
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 22, 2025
