Why did the world’s most visited and famous museum shut down?

The world-famous Musée du Louvre* in Paris – the Louvre – is the planet’s most-visited museum, welcoming 8.7 million visitors last year alone. It has stood the tests of time and trouble in its long history and stands as a majestic, lasting testament* to art, beauty, culture and history. But on Monday, it just didn’t open, after striking staff said the Parisian jewel was crumbling under the weight of mass tourism.

Home to some of human history’s priceless and revered* treasures, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa* and the Ancient Greek Winged Victory* statue, the Louvre’s doors remained locked to tourists left queuing outside the central courtyard’s glass pyramid.

The strike was not an isolated event. Last weekend saw large scale, co-ordinated anti-tourism protests across Europe and the staff strike at the Louvre reflects a growing problem as millions descend on tourist destinations each year.

Thousands gathered to protest hordes of tourists annually visiting places with ancient artefacts*, sacred sites and irreplaceable artworks. These “hot spot” destinations are among Europe’s most popular, including Mallorca, Venice, Lisbon, Barcelona and more. But the locals have had enough of being priced out of their homes and seeing their cities overrun by foreigners.

The Louvre strike came after what was supposed to be a routine meeting, when gallery attendants, ticket agents and security staff refused to start work. The Associated Press (AP) reported that the employees’ protest was a response to “unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called ‘untenable*’ working conditions”.

HAS THE LOUVRE CLOSED BEFORE?
It’s not the first time the Louvre has been closed – but it is rare. A staff walkout over overcrowding came in 2019 and safety fears shut it down in 2013, but otherwise only the Covid pandemic and war have caused the institution to turn away fans of art and history.

It was only months ago that French President Emmanuel Macron announced a 10-year rescue plan but for Louvre staff on the ground, a decade was too long to wait.

“We can’t wait six years for help,” gallery attendant and visitor services agent Sarah Sefian told AP. “Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people protecting it.”

MONA LISA’S BLUES
Sitting serenely at the centre is Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the modest 16th-century portrait that pulls daily crowd numbers to rival the average audience size during Dua Lipa’s 2024 tour.

Roughly 20,000 people a day squeeze into the museum’s largest room shoulder-to-shoulder and snap selfies with the painted woman kept well behind protective glass.

Your Kids News editor can confirm the experience was more irritating and claustrophobic than inspirational and cultural – and many visitors barge straight past masterworks collected in the same room without giving them so much as a passing glance.

Yes, the Mona Lisa has been promised her own dedicated room under President Macron’s renovation blueprint*. Timed-entry tickets will control access. A new main entrance near the Seine River is also planned by 2031 to ease pressure on the pyramid hub.

“Conditions of display, explanation and presentation will be up to what the Mona Lisa deserves,” Mr Macron promised in January.

But unlike other major sites in Paris, such as Notre Dame and the Centre Pompidou, the Louvre project is not fully funded.

Nonetheless, at the time of writing, the museum was due to open as normal on Wednesday GMT. The “renaissance*” of France’s cultural heartland will take longer – but the museum’s custodians* will continue the work of safeguarding its future. Viva La Louvre!

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GLOSSARY

• Musée du Louvre: built on the right bank of the Seine of the Seine on the site of the 12th century fortress of Philip Augustus, in 1546 Francis I, a great art collector, had the old castle razed and began to build the Louvre as another royal residence, which was added to by every subsequent French monarch – it first opened as a museum in 1793 during the French Revolution
• testament: tangible proof of something, a tribute that shows the other thing is true or exists
• revered: something or someone greatly respected and admired
• Mona Lisa: painted by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1519, the oil on wood portrait has been a source of fascination for centuries
• Winged Victory of Samothrace: this Ancient Greek marble statue (c200 b.c.) of Nike was found on the Greek island of Samothrace in 1863 and taken to France by Charles Champoiseau
• artefact: ornament, tool or other object made by a human being, especially one that is historically or culturally interesting or important
• untenable: unsustainable, cannot be defended or supported, cannot continue as it stands
• renaissance: renewal of life, a revival, new period of growth, especially in art, literature or music
• custodians: caretakers, guardians, keepers

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QUICK QUIZ

1. The glass structure in the Louvre’s central courtyard is shaped like what?
2. What is the name of the extremely famous painting displayed at the Louvre?
3. There were organised protests across Europe last weekend that relate to the staff grievances at the Louvre – what were the activists protesting?
4. How many visitors passed through the Louvre last year alone?
5. What did French President Macron announce earlier this year regarding the future of the Louvre?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What’s the problem?
What problems would the massive numbers of tourists be causing at the Louvre? Write a list of as many as you can think of. Use information from the story for some clues.

Time: allow at least 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts

2. Extension
Why do you think that people in places like Paris, which have always welcomed tourists, are now saying that it is too much? Use information in the story, your own ideas and maybe research skills to find out more about the problems that mass tourism is causing. Use information that you have found to write a report on mass tourism. In your report, write some suggestions for solutions to the problems.

Time: allow at least 60 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Geography

VCOP ACTIVITY
Adjectives
An adjective is a describing word. They are often found describing a noun. Start by looking at the words before the nouns.

Search for all the adjectives you can find in the article.

Did you find any repeat adjectives or are they all different?

Extension:
Pick three of your favourite adjectives from the text and put them in your own sentences to show other ways to use them.

Have you used any in your writing?