The Louvre on Friday moved part of its jewelry collection to a vault at the Bank of France as a precautionary measure, French radio network RTL reported.
The items, which reportedly included the “Crown Jewels” on display in the Apollo Gallery, as well as other jewelry from other areas of the museum, were transferred separately under police escort, the radio network added.
The bank’s vaults, located 27 meters underground in central Paris, house 90% of France’s gold reserves.
Last week, several thieves broke into a world-famous museum in broad daylight. They used a basket lift to access a balcony leading to the Apollo Gallery, pried open a window, destroyed a display case and stole jewellery, before fleeing on a two-wheeler. The robbery lasted six to seven minutes.
Paris prosecutors estimate the value of the jewels stolen from the Louvre last week at 88 million euros, but say this estimate does not include their historical value to France.
The robbery sparked public outrage and was criticized by several French lawmakers as a “national humiliation”. Louvre officials also questioned security at the museum, which they had previously warned was lacking in investment.
However, in recent years there has been a marked increase in museum robberies in Europe. In France alone, at least four museums have been robbed in the past few months.