The Louvre in Paris closed on Monday, leaving visitors and tourists frustrated and confused during the start of the city’s busiest tourist season.
The museum is the most popular in the world, reporting around 8.7 million visitors to its galleries last year. However, that popularity has also led the museum to a “breaking point,” the Associated Press reported Monday.
During a “routine internal meeting,” museum docents, ticket sellers, and security workers announced a spontaneous strike to protest working conditions due to overcrowding and understaffing. While the museum has closed due to strikes in the past, few have come without notice, though it did happen in 2019 and 2013.
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Sarah Sefian, a union representative of CGT-Culture, told AP that most staff plan to strike for the entire day, though some may return to open a “masterpiece route” for those with tickets to see Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, among other highlights. The Louvre is typically closed on Tuesday, and Sefian said that workers may return so that the museum can reopen on Wednesday.
The strike comes just months after the publication of a leaked memo by Louvre director Laurence des Cars in which she describes water leaks, overcrowding, and a “proliferation of damage in museum spaces.” Des Cars went on to call for a major overhaul of the museum, which is run by the state.
A week after the leaked memo, President Emmanuel Macron announced an extensive renovation plan dubbed the “Louvre New Renaissance,” that provide the Mona Lisa a dedicated room with a time-entry ticket, as well as a new entrance. The plan, which would be completed by 2031. has been estimated to cost €700–800 million.
However, Sefian told the AP that the plan doesn’t help workers now.
“We can’t wait six years for help,” Sefian said. “Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people protecting it.”