The world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris unexpectedly closed on Monday, June 16, 2025, as staff staged a spontaneous walkout to protest overwhelming crowds and deteriorating working conditions. Gallery attendants, ticket agents, and security personnel refused to take up their posts during what began as a routine internal meeting, bringing the world’s most-visited museum to a standstill.
According to France24, thousands of confused tourists, tickets in hand, found themselves corralled into unmoving lines, beneath I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramid, with no explanation for the sudden closure. The Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors last year, more than double what its aging infrastructure was designed to accommodate. This strike comes just months after French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled an ambitious decade-long plan to address the very issues now boiling over at the historic institution.
Louvre Museum At Breaking Point
Staff representatives argue that the Louvre’s problems require immediate attention, not long-term promises. “We can’t wait six years for help,” said Sarah Sefian of the CGT-Culture Union to France24. “Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people protecting it.” Even with a daily visitor cap of 30,000, workers describe their experience as a daily test of endurance. Problems include insufficient rest areas, limited bathrooms, and summer heat magnified by the pyramid’s greenhouse effect.
The situation extends beyond just crowd management. In a leaked memo, Louvre President Laurence des Cars warned that parts of the building are “no longer watertight,” that temperature fluctuations endanger priceless art, and that even basic visitor needs like food, restrooms, and signage fall far below international standards. She described the visitor experience simply as “a physical ordeal.”
The Louvre strike also represents a growing global backlash against overtourism. A day earlier, coordinated anti-tourism protests swept across southern Europe, with thousands rallying in Mallorca, Venice, Lisbon, and beyond. Protesters denounced an economic model they say displaces locals and erodes city life. In Barcelona, activists even sprayed tourists with water pistols in a theatrical bid to “cool down” runaway tourism.
