Devastating floods have forced officials to shut down the Louvre and evacuate priceless works of art.
The Louvre houses the Mona Lisa, but workers assured people she will remain protected on her upper floor. But the most visited museum in Europe must shut down:
“Due to the level of the river Seine, the Musée du Louvre will be exceptionally closed to the public on June 3, 2016 to ensure the protection of the works located in flood zones. We apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the museum said on its website.
CNN reported workers need to move the art on the lower levels:
The Louvre is now carrying out the daunting task of moving 150,000 pieces of art — mostly ancient Islamic, Greek and Italian artifacts — from its lower floors as floods threaten to creep into the busy tourist site. Around 7,000 of these items had been on display until Thursday; the remainder were being kept in storage.CNN was given access to the Louvre as its staff set out on the massive rescue operation, watching as Italian vases form the 7th century B.C. were carefully wrapped and packed into gray crates, the process painstakingly documented to ensure nothing is damaged or goes missing.
The floods in France and Germany have killed eleven people. The Seine River had risen 18 feet “above usual levels overnight” as it reaches 20 feet, “the highest level in 30 years.”
The floods have caused Paris to come to a standstill. The city is running only a third of the trains and planes cannot leave the airport.
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