On Monday 16 June, Paris’s famous Louvre museum has unexpectedly closed its doors for multiple hours on end. During a routine internal meeting, gallery attendants, reception, and security workers spontaneously went into strike, with their union CGT Culture stating they have been working in ‘untenable’ conditions.
The Louvre isn’t just one of Paris’s main touristic highlights, it is also the world’s most-visited museum. Over 2024, nearly 9 million curious minds visited the cultural institution and its most famous inhabitant, the Mona Lisa. And while a daily cap of 30.000 visitors has been put in place, the building is thereby still welcoming more than double the people its infrastructure was designed to accommodate.
“Due to strikes in France, the museum may open later and some exhibition rooms may remain closed. We thank you for your understanding,” the museum wrote in a statement on Monday.
Keeping all this in mind, the Louvre rarely closes its doors to the public. Over the years, it has happened a handful of times, including during the war and the pandemic, and for a couple of planned strikes. A strike such as the one that took place on Monday, where the museum unexpectedly closed its doors, leaving thousands of people stranded in the queu, is a new concept.
#LouvreMuseum : The #IconicSymbol of #France closes citing staff shortages, no time fr maintenance & overwhelming visitors to the museum. This is hindering civil works inside the Galleries & Hall.#Paris #Tourists #ArtForAll pic.twitter.com/2Y2Uyw1EqF
— Dr. Subhash (@Subhash_LiveS) June 17, 2025
Yet while the decision of the gallery attendants, reception, and security workers was unplanned, according to Sarah Sefian of the CGT Culture union, it was not unpredictable. After a routine monthly internal meeting, the staff decided to stay together and wait for the arrival of the museum management in order to be heard.
“It’s a movement led by reception agents who are suffering from the working conditions at the Louvre. All roles related to visitor reception are affected. Overcrowding and understaffing are the main issues being raised,” Ms Sefian said.
Unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing, and untenable working conditions are the main issues according to the staff. The much-needed restoration promised by president Macron is necessary but those who are working at the Louvre to welcome tens of thousands of visitors per day can’t wait 10 years for their working conditions to improve – especially since, according to CGT Culture union, the Louvre has lost the equivalent of 200 full-time jobs over the last 15 years.
The staff on strike and the museum management sat together from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, when the Louvre finally reopened its doors to the public. It is unclear whether or not they were able to come to an understanding. The Louvre’s president, Laurence des Cars, already raised the alarm at the beginning of 2025, pointing out the building’s many sore points.
A decade for the Louvre
In January 2025, French president Emmanuel Macron unveiled the so-called Louvre New Renaissance, a renovation plan to rescue the Louvre and to update the museum to meet the current standards. Water leaks, temperature swings, and infrastructure should be tackled over the coming decade, while the Mona Lisa will get a dedicated room, and a new entrance will be added near the Seine River by 2031.
The renovation is expected to cost €700 to €800 million and will be financed through ticket revenues, private donations, state funds, and licensing fees from the Louvre’s Abu Dhabi branch. Moreover, ticket fees for non-EU tourists are scheduled to increase later this year.
