June 16 will go down in Parisian history as a significant day due to the temporary closure of the Louvre museum. Due to a recent worker strike, the most popular museum in the world is closed to visitors.
Employees demonstrated against over-tourism and poor working conditions.
An unplanned walkout by ticket agents, security guards, and attendants left thousands of travellers perplexed. One employee referred to the congestion and understaffing as “untenable” during a regular meeting.
Reasons for the Strike
Staff highlighted unmanageable crowds, particularly around the Mona Lisa, which attracts thousands of daily visitors, alongside deteriorating infrastructure, including water leaks and temperature fluctuations, endangering artworks.
Laurence des Cars, the President of the Louvre, cautioned that some areas of the building are “no longer watertight” in a memo, citing the staff’s demand for improved working conditions.
In the January 2025 leaked record, des Cars stated, “Visiting the Louvre is a physical ordeal; accessing the artworks takes time and is not always easy. Visitors have no space to take a break. The food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling below international standards. The signage needs to be completely redesigned.”
Macron’s Renovation Blueprint
The closure follows President Emmanuel Macron’s recent announcement of a decade-long plan to address the Louvre’s mounting issues—water leaks, hazardous temperature fluctuations, aging infrastructure, and overwhelming visitor numbers that exceed the museum’s capacity, problems now fueling the staff strike.
Macron’s “Louvre New Renaissance” plan, costing €700–800 million, includes a dedicated Mona Lisa gallery and a new entrance by 2031 to ease congestion.
Not The First Time
In the past, following earlier strikes, government limitations, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum was forced to close. Overcrowding at the Louvre led to unplanned walkouts in 2019, while safety concerns prompted staff strikes in 2013. Although the Louvre has a long history dating back to the 12th century and has seen numerous changes throughout the years, its closure is significant.
