Pyramide du Louvre
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The Louvre Pyramid is the main entrance to the great museum of the Louvre. Designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, it opened in 1989 in the Cour Napoléon.
A new entrance for an old palace
In the 1980s the Louvre needed a bigger entrance. The architect Ieoh Ming Pei proposed a transparent pyramid in the middle of the courtyard.
The pyramid was built between 1985 and 1989. Beneath it lies the great welcome hall, which leads to the museum's three wings. That way visitors no longer have to take long detours to get in.
What to look at in the courtyard
The pyramid is about 21 metres tall and weighs about 200 tonnes. It is made of a web of metal bars holding hundreds of glass panes.
Around it lies triangle-shaped water. On clear days the pyramid is mirrored in the water.
The battle of the pyramid
When the project was presented, many people criticised it. The newspapers spoke of a "battle of the pyramid".
Today the pyramid is one of the symbols of Paris. Underground there is also an upside-down pyramid, with its point facing the floor. It lies under the Carrousel du Louvre shopping centre and is about 7 metres tall.
In the courtyard, near the pyramid, there is also a statue of Louis XIV on horseback. It is a lead copy of a sculpture from the 1600s.
