As heavy rainfall floods Paris, the Louvre isn’t taking chances with its priceless art collection and will close on Friday to prevent water damage.
The museum will move pieces from its underground stores to higher floors to keep them safe, according to a Thursday statement. The Louvre is right next to the Seine river, which has risen 16 ft. above its normal levels due to rain over the past few weeks, AFP reports.
The Louvre had previously said its storage spaces were not under threat, as the underground areas are equipped with waterproof doors and flooding pumps. But as the Seine began bursting its banks in some places, the museum changed course.
In the long term, the Louvre plans to move its underground art stores to another facility by 2019 so they won’t be imperiled by the river. As the most-visited gallery in the world, the Louvre houses works by Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir and Gauguin, including the famed Mona Lisa.
[AFP]
- Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Undoing Constitutional Right to Abortion
- What the Supreme Court’s Abortion Decision Means for Your State
- The Failure of the Feminist Industrial Complex
- The Fight Over Abortion Has Only Just Begun
- Column: How Stereotypes Shape the Language People Use
- Everything We Know About Beyoncé's New Album, Renaissance
- Homes Made from Straw or Fungi Can Now Get You a Cheaper Mortgage in the Netherlands
- Going on Vacation This Summer? Welcome to the 'Revenge Travel' Economy