Louvre reopens nine months after robbery

(NBC, KYMA) - The Louvre is finally open once again Wednesday.

This comes just nine months after a gang of jewel thieves burst into the museum's Apollo Gallery, pulling off a daylight robbery that stunned the world.

The magnificent hall stands empty, a painful reminder that the stolen crown jewels are still missing and one of France's greatest mysteries remains unsolved.

Of the eight priceless treasures taken, only the crown has been recovered, dropped by the thieves and damaged, it was returned to the Louvre after DNA checks.

While some of those behind the robbery may still be on the loose, police have arrested four men, including the pair seen smashing the display cases. Both have low-level criminal records, police say.

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, they recently told investigators, they were paid around $22,000 for the heist and handed the jewels over to a shadowy mastermind, who they refuse to name in case he retaliates against their families.

If there's any comfort it may be in the smile of Mona Lisa, she was stolen in 1911, but recovered two years later, restored to her rightful place, at the heart of the world's most popular museum.