Paris museums reopen after attacks

The Louvre had been closed over the weekend to mark three days of national mourning

Public museums and other cultural venues in Paris have reopened following the attacks in the French capital on Friday.

Many of Paris’s tourist attractions, including the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, closed on Saturday amid heightened security.

The institutions reopened at 13:00 local time following a minute’s silence to honour those who were killed.

However the Eiffel Tower will remain closed until further notice.

A message on the tower’s website added “the Eiffel Tower will not sparkle” on Monday night, during the period of national mourning, at the request of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

A total of 129 people died in the attacks by Islamist militants.

The Louvre is home to the Mona Lisa painting

People were targeted in bars and restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and the Stade de France.

In explaining the decision to reopen the venues, French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin said although France had suffered a tragic event, “culture is more than ever this symbolic place of self-discovery”.

Ms Pellerin added the government would help to boost security measures at public cultural institutions in Ile-de-France, the region immediately surrounding Paris.

Its landmarks include the Louvre, which houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting, as well as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Eighty-nine people died at the Bataclan venue, where US rock band Eagles of Death Metal had been performing.

Many concerts scheduled to take place in Paris over the weekend, including those by U2, Motorhead, Foo Fighters and Deftones, were also cancelled.

Cinemas were also ordered to close following Friday’s attacks, but most reopened on Sunday.

BBC