The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, temporarily closed its doors on Monday due to an unscheduled strike by museum workers. Thousands of confused visitors found themselves waiting in long lines outside the museum’s iconic glass pyramid entrance. The strike began during an internal meeting where museum staff, including gallery attendants and security personnel, refused to take up their posts.
They cited poor working conditions, such as “unmanageable crowds and chronic understaffing,” as the reasons for their protest. Sarah Sefian, a union representative from CGT-Culture, said, “What began as a scheduled monthly information session turned into a mass expression of exasperation. Staff decided to stay together until an arrangement arrived.”
The museum’s leadership met with the staffers at around 10:30 a.m. local time to discuss various complaints related to understaffing and overcrowding.
The Louvre confirmed that it reopened at 2:30 p.m. and reassured visitors that those who were unable to enter would have their tickets refunded. Tourists expressed their frustration online at being forced to stand for hours outside the museum without any explanation. One user on the Louvre’s official Instagram page wrote, “Just left the line after 5 hours of waiting with 0 information.
Louvre staff protest overwork conditions
Terrible terrible customer service.”
The Louvre’s financial woes, issues with overcrowding, and deteriorating buildings were detailed in a letter from the museum’s director Laurence des Cars to France’s minister of culture Rachida Dati. The letter mentioned “worrying temperature variations that endanger the conservation of the artworks” and parts of the building that are “very degraded” and “no longer watertight.”
French president Emmanuel Macron has pledged significant funding for the overhaul of the building, which will include a new entrance.
The project is estimated to cost around €400 million ($417 million) and will be partly financed by money supplied by Louvre Abu Dhabi. The Louvre is also implementing a new fee for non-E.U. visitors starting January 1, 2026, to contribute to the fundraising effort. The restored museum is expected to accommodate 12 million visitors per year, a 33 percent increase from the current attendance of 9 million.
However, museum workers emphasize the urgency of the situation. “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.”
The last time the Louvre was forced to close due to a similar protest was in 2019, when workers protested the rapid growth in annual visitors, which had surpassed 10 million in the previous year.
