The Story of the Louvre
The Louvre's story begins in the late 12th century when Philip Augustus built a fortress to defend Paris from Viking raids. Over the centuries, French kings transformed this medieval stronghold into an elegant Renaissance palace, with major renovations under Francis I and later monarchs who expanded and beautified the complex.
During the French Revolution in 1793, the revolutionary government opened the Louvre as a public museum, making royal art collections accessible to all citizens for the first time. Napoleon I greatly expanded the collection through his military campaigns, bringing treasures from across Europe and Egypt to fill the galleries.
The modern era began with François Mitterrand's Grand Louvre project in the 1980s, which added I.M. Pei's controversial glass pyramid entrance and doubled the museum's exhibition space. This bold architectural addition sparked intense debate but ultimately became beloved as a symbol of the museum's evolution.
Today, the Louvre continues to grow and adapt, welcoming over 8 million visitors annually and constantly acquiring new works while preserving its role as the world's premier cultural institution and guardian of human artistic achievement.
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