Not even a month had passed since the spectacular jewelry theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris on October 19, when it was discovered that a water leak in the ventilation systems had damaged between 300 and 400 documents in one of the museum’s libraries.
The affected materials are part of the collection of the Egyptology department and, as Francis Steinbock, vice manager of the museum, explained to a television station this Sunday, they are documents that the researchers consulted but that were not irreplaceable, “Egyptology magazines” and “scientific documentation” from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Although they are still assessing the damage, he stated that many of the materials can be restored. “No heritage object has been affected by this damage,” he assured. “At this time, we have no irreparable or definitive losses in these collections.”
Those responsible for the museum discovered the breakdown and destruction on November 26 but have waited until this Sunday to make it public. As reported by the website The Art Tribune The poor condition of the ventilation system had been detected a long time ago, but there were no funds to repair it. Steinbock has stated that repair work on the ventilation system was planned for September 2026.
The breakdown occurred in the Mollien wing and affected one of the three rooms of the Egyptology department library. ““No heritage object has been affected by this damage,” he stated. “At this time, we have no irreparable or definitive losses in these collections.”
This Sunday the CFDT-Cultura union also raised its voice, releasing a statement: “This latest incident confirms a situation that has been deteriorating for too long.” On Monday the union plans a meeting to discuss these serious incidents.