A dirty water leak on November 26 damaged 300 to 400 books in the Louvre's Egyptian Antiquities library. These 19th and 20th-century scientific documents, used by researchers, show no irremediable losses. The incident highlights the museum's aging infrastructure issues.
On November 26, around 8:45 p.m., a water leak was discovered in the hydraulic system supplying heating and ventilation to the Egyptian Antiquities library in the Louvre's Mollien wing. The flooding, triggered by the accidental opening of a valve, affected hundreds of Egyptology journals and scientific documentation from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Francis Steinbock, the museum's deputy general administrator, told AFP that 'between 300 and 400 books' were impacted, but 'no patrimonial works are affected.' He noted that these 'extremely useful and frequently consulted' items, though not unique, will be dried, rebound, and returned without permanent losses.
Described as 'in total obsolescence,' the hydraulic network has been offline for months and is scheduled for replacement starting September 2026 as part of major renovations. The Louvre plans to enhance safety measures to prevent human errors and is conducting an internal investigation into the exact causes.
This incident adds to ongoing challenges at the world's most visited museum, which welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024, 69% of them foreigners. Following an October 19 burglary and a November gallery closure due to building decay, the CFDT-Culture union criticizes a 'situation that has been deteriorating for too long,' highlighting infrastructure fragility and poor working conditions. An inter-union general assembly is set for Monday to plan next steps.
To fund modernization, the Louvre will raise entry fees by 45% for non-European visitors from 2026 onward.