Le Louvre

The Louvre Museum, has for two centuries been one of the biggest museums in the world. Its collections are spread over 8 departments. And one of my favourite pieces of Architecture at the moment.

On August 10, 1793, the Musée du Louvre opened its doors to the public. For over 600 years, the Louvre had been a symbol of the wealth, power and decadence of the French monarchy, and the confiscation and reconstituting of what had been a royal palace into a national museum was seen as a grand cultural gesture embodying the values of the recent French Revolution. Today it is one of the world’s largest museums and the most visited.

The Louvre began life in the late 12th century when Philip II, the first person to be officially known as the King of France and one of medieval Europe’s most successful rulers, began construction on a defensive outpost near what was then the western border of Paris, along the bank of the River Seine. Designed to prevent invasions from the north, the arsenal included bastions at each corner, a surrounding moat and a massive, 98-foot-tall fortified tower, or keep, at its center. In the 14th century, with the city having spread far beyond its borders during Philip’s reign, a new series of defenses was constructed on the outskirts of Paris, and the fortress ceased to be used for defensive purposes. Today, visitors to the Louvre can view the remains of part of the fortress’ medieval masonry in the 13th century Salle Basse, or Lower Hall.

The Louvre became a clearinghouse for artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War 2. As their army got close to France the conservators begun planning and then evacuating thousands of pieces of art into trucks to be sent to the french countryside for safe keeping. When the German army occupied Paris they reopened the Louvre and used it as a clearing house to catalogue all work confiscated from wealthy french families to then ship off back to Germany.

I particually like the Louvre as they used glass and steel as a decorative feature on a very old building with a strong heritage. They have managed to make modern and old style contempoary work together. The glass pyramid is in the centre of the courtyard and is an entrance to the museum and was designed by I.M Pei. The glass pyramid is also a skylight and has a inverted pyramid below it to reflect the sunlight around the room.

To be completed...

http://www.history.com/news/six-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-louvre