The Louvre Museum in Paris delayed its opening on Monday, leaving thousands of visitors stranded in long, unmoving lines outside the iconic glass pyramid.
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Staff at the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, have cited an “emergency meeting” of senior officials but offered no explanation or timeline for reopening.
Some frustrated ticket-holders gave up and left, creating a false impression that the line was moving. “It’s the Mona Lisa moan out here,” said Kevin Ward, 62, from Milwaukee, one of thousands of confused visitors corralled into unmoving lines beneath I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid. “Thousands of people waiting, no communication, no explanation. I guess even she needs a day off.”
It’s a rare thing for the Louvre to close its doors to the public. It has happened during war, during the pandemic, and in a brief 2019 staff strike - but never quite like this: with tourists lining the plaza, tickets in hand, and no clear sense of why the world’s most famous museum had simply stopped.
As of midday, there was no official evacuation or further information from the museum. A message posted on the museum’s website said: “Due to strikes in France, the museum may open later and some exhibition rooms may remain closed. We thank you for your understanding."
