| In the early part of the 12th century, a fernch king commissioned the first building of what eventualy became the Louvre. It was originally built to serve as a fortress to protect Paris while the king was on crusade in the Holy Land. After tanding for over 500 years as a fortress, in the 16th and 17th century, the fortress, was mostly destroyed to be replaced by a comfortable and elegant palace which would serve as the residence for the kings. It served as a palace until the French Revolution in 1789. After the French Revolution , the Louvre became the great museum that it is today. The most recent addition to the palace is the pyramids, built in the late 1980's. |
