History
The Hôtel de la Marine and the Crown Jewels theft
How a royal storehouse became the scene of the great jewel theft of September 1792.
Check the apartments ticket on Viator ↗The Garde-Meuble de la Couronne
The Garde-Meuble de la Couronne was the royal office responsible for the furniture, tapestries, bronzes, arms and jewels used to equip the royal palaces. It moved into Ange-Jacques Gabriel's building on what was then the Place Louis XV, completed in 1774, and part of it became a showcase where the crown's finest pieces, including the Crown Jewels, were shown to the public on set days.
The theft of September 1792
With the monarchy overthrown and Paris in upheaval, thieves broke into the Garde-Meuble over several nights in mid-September 1792 and made off with most of the Crown Jewels. Among the haul was the Regent Diamond, one of the most celebrated diamonds in the world, which had been set in the coronation crowns of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
What was recovered
Most of the loot was eventually recovered, though not all: the great blue diamond known as the French Blue never came back, and is believed to have been recut as the Hope Diamond. The Regent turned up at the end of 1793, hidden in the timbers of a Paris attic, and is held today at the Louvre, a short walk from the room it was stolen from.
The story inside the visit today
The room where the jewels were kept is part of the route in the room-by-room guide on this site: under the old regime it held the crown's jewels, and after the Revolution it became a diplomatic reception room. The headset narrates the building's switch from royal storehouse to naval ministry to museum as you walk through it.