Rebuilt in the mid-16th century for use as a royal palace, the Louvre became the residence of the King.
The Louvre began its career as a royal museum accessible to the public in 1793, when the doors of the Grande Galerie were opened to visitors.
In 1988, the president François Mitterrand decided to devote the entire palace to the museum and asked to I.M. Pei to add a glass pyramid to the palace courtyard.
Today the Louvre Museum is the world's largest museum.
Close by is the popular Tuileries.
