The Louvre museum announced it would close on Friday to evacuate artworks held in its underground reserves since the River Seine began to burst its banks.
The museum, which hosts some of the most famous artworks, decided to proceed to this action after incessant rain led to floods in central and northern France.

The Musee d’Orsay, which faces the Louvre on the opposite bank of the river, closed on Thursday to put its own “protection plan” into effect, as France24 reports.

It hosts the world’s greatest collection of Impressionist masterpieces, including paintings by Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh and Degas.

“The aim is to move works situated in areas vulnerable to flooding to safety by moving them to higher floors,” the Louvre said in a statement.

The Musee d’Orsay said a crisis management team had been put in place to organise the transfer of its most vulnerable treasures to its upper floors, if the River Seine rises more than 5.5 metres, while it is estimated the river could rise 6 metres.