The Louvre, Building a Symbol

The Louvre is a symbol of the City of Light, one of the world’s finest museums housed in the biggest palace in Europe. Today, some 10 million visitors stroll through its 14 kilometers of galleries and corridors, carefully laid out to contemplate more than 40,000 works of art. The museum covers 210,000m², has 22 escalators, 75 elevators, and more than 10,000 steps. And yet, the Louvre was originally simply a fortress built to protect the capital.

What were the main changes which transformed this chateau into a museum over the past 800 years? And how did the Louvre’s pyramid come about – this soaring structure of 95 tons of steel and 673 glass rhomboids designed by the visionary architect, Ieoh Ming Pei?

Thanks to 3D reconstructions, CGI, and interviews with leading architects including Ieoh Ming Pei’s son, the film retraces this unprecedented architectural saga and takes us behind the scenes in what was one of the main residences for a series of kings and emperors on the throne of France.