The Louvre Offers to Protect War-Zone Treasures

Paris’ famous Louvre Museum is offering to shield world treasures rescued from war zones such as Syria and Iraq at its secure storage facility in northern France.

French president François Hollande said the facility can temporarily house treasures at risk of being destroyed or looted during conflicts.

The building is currently scheduled to be open in 2019 and Hollande says he will propose the idea at a conference on endangered heritage in Abu Dhabi this month. There are representatives from 40 countries attending.

The facility will be unique in Europe, Hollande said in The Guardian, “The principle role of the Liévin site will be to house the Louvre Museum’s stored collection … but it could have another role, sadly linked to the events, dramas, tragedies that we see in the world.”

He added, “In Abu Dhabi the international community will decide to protect, to promote and even to finance the restoration of a certain number of works. And we are going to suggest that the Liévin conservation site is where such works can be protected.”

The conference on culture and terrorism will start a fund that hopes to raise $100 million to help save art at risk through war and terrorism. Its priorities are to combat the international antiquities black market, house endangered items and preserve the memory of destroyed sites.