And the reactions were as sharp as they were brutal. What are you doing here? What are you doing to our great Louvre? There was also a real fear at the time that Mitterand would not get re-elected and the project would be stopped in the middle.
So it was constructed out of sequence: the glass pyramid structure was built first, before the base. The rational was that it would have been harder to abandon the project once it existed in concrete form. A pivotal moment came when Pei showed a full-scale mock up to Jacques Chirac, mayor of Paris at the time.
Chirac apparently liked what he saw and the political wheels turned much more smoothly after that. It consists of 70 triangular and diamond-shaped glass panes. Standing 22 metres high, it is cleaned by trained mountain climbers who scale the shape to polish the glass. The structure is made entirely of glass segments, and metal poles integrating 95 tons of steel and tons of aluminum were used to lay a strong foundation for this masterpiece.
It reaches a height of Today, the Pyramid is loved by both visitors and Parisians and is one of the most visited monuments on the planet. The Pyramid is the primary entrance to the Louvre, located in its courtyard. The structure serves as a constant reminder of the Egyptian Antiquities collections and its significance within the museum. The fifth and the final one is the inverted pyramid which can be viewed when using the Carrousel du Louvre entrance underground. This, too, was designed by I.
Pei, and was completed in Constructed as a fortress in the 12th century, the Louvre Museum served as a royal residence before becoming a public museum in , post the French Revolution. Here are our top 5 facts about the Pyramid that you need to know before visiting the museum:. Though the Pyramid brought in worldwide popularity, it was primarily built for a functional purpose. The revamp would include the Richelieu Wing of the palace, which housed the Ministry of Finance at that time.
The Grand Louvre project, as a result, increased the exhibition space, enabling increased access for visitors. The Pyramid was built to expand its spacing to welcome more visitors. Pei did make this possible by increasing the area to double by adding , square feet of space underground, which welcomed 3. However, by , the venue had become too small as the average number of tourists increased to The Pyramid project had improved visitor flow by arranging entrances and reception areas.
Today, timed tickets have also been introduced for advance bookings, in addition to the installment of two information desks, better signage systems, and easily recognizable soundproof pillars. Though the louver museum shot to fame with the Pyramid entrance, it is not the only way to access the museum. Sometimes, it might be ideal to choose other routes to avoid the massive crowd as well.
With the increased demand today, it is highly recommended to book your tickets in advance before heading to the venue, which will give you an average waiting time of under 30 minutes. Most of the time, even guests with pre-booked tickets will join the line in front of the pyramid. However, visitors with single or group tickets can enter from Passage Richelieu. You can also make your way in from the Carrousel du Louvre, which is the underground shopping and dining area opened in From here, you gain direct access to the museum and can witness the inverted pyramid suspended from the top.
Regardless, the Louvre Pyramid endured the criticism and is today valued as part of the heritage of France. Made of mainly glass and steel, the Louvre Pyramid is Its square base has sides of 34 metres and a base surface area of 1, square metres. It features rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments. It is designed to the exact dimensions of the aforementioned Great Pyramid of Giza. Together, whether viewed from above or below, these have the appearance of diamonds or cut jewels.
Today, the Louvre glass Pyramid is known world-wide as a symbol of Paris. It is an important part of le Louvre Paris. However, few people who have not visited the city realise that the Louvre has more than just one pyramid. It actually has five.
Apart from that main transparent masterpiece, there are also three smaller, similar looking ones that stand adjacent. Functionally, these provide light for the artworks above which they stand.
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