Louvre December strike adds to post-heist woes: How the museum’s bad year stacks up

On November 26, a water leak at Paris’ Louvre Museum damaged between 300 and 400 historical books in the Egyptology and scientific documentation section. Then, on December 8, workers at the museum voted to initiate a strike over poor working conditions.

And that’s only a drop in the bucket compared to the Louvre’s overall woes so far this year.

For years, the Louvre has been struggling with a combination of old, weathered infrastructure and increased foot traffic brought about by mass tourism. But in 2025, the museum has been hit by the full consequences of operating out of a relatively un-updated building to house some of the world’s most influential (and valuable) art.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Louvre’s horrible, no good, very bad year.

A leaked memo reveals the ex