The impressive glass pyramid has stood in the courtyard of the Louvre for 35 years.

Paris/Prague - The impressive glass pyramid in the middle of Napoleon's courtyard in front of the Louvre, which has served as the main entrance to this most famous Parisian museum since March 29, 1989, is one of the symbols of the French capital. The bold project by American architect of Chinese descent Ieoh Ming Pei was championed in 1983 by then French President François Mitterrand, despite the fact that at the beginning nearly three-quarters of the French population disagreed with the unconventional structure.

They were mainly concerned about how Pei's typical austere lines, stone, concrete, glass, and steel would fit into the traditional environment. However, in the end, most critics were pleasantly surprised. The approximately 21-meter high pyramid is actually the roof of vast underground spaces, where visitor services are concentrated. With its accessibility, the first phase of the so-called Great Louvre project, aimed at expanding and modernizing the Louvre to make it "the largest museum in the world," was completed.

The Louvre Palace, which used to be the residence of French kings, is both a pride and a showcase of Paris as a museum. It displays significant sculptures, art objects, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds. The museum was definitively opened to the public in November 1793. The Louvre boasts many "bests." With nearly eight million visitors annually, it is the most visited museum in the world, with an exhibition area of almost 73,000 m², it is the second largest in the world after the British Museum, and it is also one of the oldest.