Louvre closes because of overwhelmed employees
Louvre closes because of overwhelmed employees
The Louvre, The The strongest museum in the world and a global symbol for art, beauty and steadfast remained closed on Monday. Not through war, not through terror, but through your own exhausted staff, which says the institution is falling apart from the inside.
an unexpected closure
It was an almost unimaginable sight: the home of masterpieces such as the creations leonardo da vincis and Treasures from millennia of civilization - paralyzed by the people who are entrusted with the task of inviting the world into its galleries.
And yet the moment felt bigger than a simple industrial action. The Louvre has become an indicator of global overtourism-a gilded palace, overwhelmed by its own popularity. While tourist magnets are fighting from Venice to the Acropolis to control the masses of visitors, the world -famous museum is faced with its own test.
protest of the staff
The spontaneous strike broke out during a routine internal meeting, as gallery experts, ticket sellers and security personnel, refused to occupy their posts in order to protest against intolerable crowds, chronic understaffing and what a union described as "unbearable" working conditions.
"It is the Mona-Lisa lawsuit here," said Kevin Ward, 62 years old from Milwaukee, a visitors who are confused by thousands who are in immobile snakes at i.M. Peis glass pyramid were encircled. "Waiting thousands of people, no communication, no explanation. I assume, even she needs a day off."
The history of closures
It is rare that the Louvre closes its doors to the public. This happened in times of war, while the Pandemie -including spontaneous work because Year 2019 and Security fears in 2013. But rarely did it feel like now: tourists in hand with tickets, without clear explanation for it Museum had simply closed without warning.an urgent situation
The disorder only comes months after the presentation of a comprehensive ten -year plan by President Emmanuel Macron, to save the Louvre from exactly the problems that now upset - water leaks, dangerous temperature fluctuations, outdated infrastructure and visitor numbers that can go far beyond what the museum can do.
But for the local employees, this promised future seems far away.
"We can't wait six years," said Sarah Sefian from the CGT-Culture union. "Our teams are now under pressure. It's not just about art - it's about the people they protect."
The Mona Lisa in focus
At the center of attention is, as always, the Mona lisa Attaches that are more of a celebrity meeting than a art experience.
About 20,000 people crowd into the Salle of the État, the largest space in the museum, just to make a selfie with the mysterious lady behind armored glass. The scenery is often loud, pressing and so tight that many hardly take a look at the masterpieces they surround - works by Titian and Veronese, which are largely ignored.
"You don't see a painting," said Ji-Hyun Park, 28, who flew from Seoul to Paris. "You see cell phones. You see ellbogen. You feel the heat. And then you will be pushed out."
The future of the Louvre
Macron's renovation plan, known as "Louvre New Renaissance", promises to remedy the situation. The Mona Lisa will finally get its own space, which will be accessible via a ticket with a temporary entry. A new input near the Seine River is also planned for 2031 to take the pressure from the crowded pyramid area.
"The conditions for presentation and explanation do justice to what the Mona Lisa deserves," said Macron in January.
the Louvre in the standstill
The Louvre recorded 8.7 million visitors last year - more than twice as many as its infrastructure can process. Even with a daily upper limit of 30,000, the employees say that the experience has become a daily test of patience, with too few relaxation areas, insufficient toilets and the summer heat, reinforced by the greenhouse effect of the pyramid.
In a leaked memo, Louvre President Laurence warned that parts of the building were “no longer waterproof”, that temperature fluctuations endangered priceless art and that even basic visitor needs-food, toilets, signage-were far below international standards. She simply described the experience as "a physical effort."
"What started as a planned monthly information discussion developed into a massive expression of frustration," said Sefian. The talks between employees and management started at 10:30 a.m. and drew until the afternoon. The museum remained closed until the early afternoon.
The complete renovation plan-with costs of 700 to 800 million euros-is to be financed by ticket revenues, private donations, state funds and license fees of the Louvre branch in Abu Dhabi. Ticket prices for non-EU tourists should increase this year.
But the employees say that their needs are more urgent than every ten -year plan.
In contrast to other important sights in Paris, such as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame or the Center Pompidou, both of which are subjected to state-funded restoration, the Louvre remains at a standstill-neither fully financed nor fully functional.
President Macron, who held his speech for the 2017 election in the Louvre and presented him in Paris during the 2024 Olympics, promised to create a safer, more modern museum by the end of the decade.
Until then, France's greatest cultural treasure - and the crowds that visit him - are trapped between the cracks.
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