While the Louvre in Paris is still smarting over problems in its security system, hundreds of historic books have been damaged by a water leak.
Once again the upkeep of France’s Louvre Museum has hit the headlines, but this time the spotlight shines on a foreseeable water leak that has caused major damage. Officials in Paris, France confirmed on Sunday that a large collection of historically important books was damaged during November by a water leak. The leak affected the Mollien Wing of the Louvre, which houses the Department of Egyptian Antiquities.
According to Deputy Administrator Francis Steinbock, the leak was discovered on November 26. He downplayed the water leak, saying that “300 to 400 works” from the late 19th and early 20th centuries had been damaged. He described the affected historic books as “extremely useful but by no means unique.”
“No heritage artifacts have been affected by this damage,” Steinbock said, adding, “At this stage, we have no irreparable and definitive losses in these collections.”
The official explained that the damaged books will be “dried, sent to a bookbinder to be restored, and then returned to the shelves.”
However, while Steinbock made light of the situation, his claims were quickly slammed by an article published Saturday in the online magazine La Tribune de l’Art. The article revealed that some book bindings had been irreparably damaged. Moreover, it accused Louvre Museum administrators of ignoring requests from the Egyptian department about improvements to the building and other efforts to protect the invaluable collection.
This news comes in the wake of another story, about a Sunday morning in October, where a brazen heist saw four thieves heading off with bags full of historic crown jewels worth more than $102 million. However, when taking the historical value in mind, those jewels are priceless, and the museum’s officials fear the crown has most likely been destroyed and the jewels sold for good value. Moreover, November saw the museum having to close a gallery exhibiting Greek vases over structural concerns.
Experts in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities have requested that something be done to protect the collection for some time, but funds have not yet been set aside. However, now, the Louvre has announced that it will conduct an investigation into the water leak. Meanwhile, the water leak is not unexpected as problems with the old piping system have been known for some time. Reportedly, the system has now been shut down and is scheduled for replacement in September 2026.
It was found that a valve in the heating system had been erroneously opened, which led to the carpets on the floor above the books being soaked with water. Once the carpets could no longer hold the water, it began to drip through the ceiling, affecting the historic books in the room below.
🔴 SCANDALE AU LOUVRE : une fuite d’eau INONDE la bibliothèque des antiquités égyptiennes !
Plus de 400 livres et papyrus rares endommagés, certains vieux de 4000 ans…
Les agents avaient ALERTÉ la direction depuis des mois. Rien n’a été fait.
Après le vol de la Couronne et les… pic.twitter.com/KK7MF99PKE
— 🇮🇹 RADIOROMA (@RadioRomaX) December 7, 2025
Translation:
“LOUVRE SCANDAL: Water leak floods the Egyptian antiquities library!
More than 400 rare books and papyri damaged, some 4,000 years old…
Staff had alerted management months ago. Nothing was done.
After the theft of the Crown and the collapsing ceilings, this is the third disaster in just a few years. Are we just letting the world’s greatest museum rot away?”
In an effort to restore and finance improvements at the massive Louvre Museum in Paris, management recently announced an adjustment to its entry fees. A 45 percent price hike to the entrance fee for non-EU visitors to €32 ($27) is set to boost annual revenues by $23 million. It is estimated that some 69 percent of the museum’s 8.7 million annual visitors come from abroad.
Besides structural problems, La Tribune de l’Art also revealed a major imbalance in how the Louvre weighs its priorities. It accuses the museum of spending much money on designer furniture and renovation for management offices, while forcing the Paris museum to wait for improvements to its security, infrastructure and safety.
It seems their problems are not yet over, as Artnet reports that Louvre staff is set to go on strike over the ongoing mishaps.
