Louvre Pyramid

Louvre Pyramid at the Louvre Museum

Louvre Pyramid at the Louvre Museum

Before I came to the Louvre Museum, I never even knew that it used to be a palace. However what I did know about the museum was probably one of the most well known feature of the museum. The entrance of the museum features a glass pyramid which opens a hole to the entrance below the ground. The Louvre Pyramid, though not incredibly huge like the pyramids of Egypt still has that presence primarily due to the material it was made of. The pyramid was designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei. I only knew about the pyramid because of I.M. Pei, he has made several iconic landmarks around the world and the other one I visited as the Bank of China building in Hong Kong, also a very well known landmark.

Glass Pyramid at the Louvre Museum

Glass Pyramid at the Louvre Museum

Amusingly, this was not the first time I have been to a glass pyramid. There is a replica of the Louvre Pyramid, not surprisingly, in a theme park in Shenzhen, China. The pyramid was undoubtedly inspired by the real thing. Lest it be unfairly accused of plagiarism, the entire theme park was one which showcases important places around the world through replicas. Yes, including a full one third replica of the Eiffel Tower. The real thing is much more impressive and it seems to be an interesting contrast to the classical buildings of the Louvre Palace which surround it. The design of the glass pyramid was very polarizing to say the least and I think I understand why. The buildings around the pyramid were very classical, while this pyramid was to sharp, too modern to fit in. Eventually people came to like the pyramid and it is now probably the most recognizable landmark in the entire museum grounds. This place is probably magical at night, unfortunately, we do not have time to come back here anymore. I really regretted this hopefully, I would get a chance to come back.

[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/LouvreMuseum.kmz} zoom=19]