Glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre
The glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre was built from 1985 to 1989 and serves as the main entrance to the Louvre museum in the French capital Paris .
history
Two hundred years after the French Revolution , the Louvre was to be given its actual purpose as a “universal lyceum”, according to the wishes of French President François Mitterrand . This was to be another of his “Great Projects” that would contribute to France's cultural renaissance. His idea was to convert the 13th century palace into the largest museum in the world. For this purpose, a new entrance with an underground hall was to be built, the previous ministry wing gutted and underground car parks created. Mitterrand placed a direct order with the famous Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei for the entire project .
The pyramid was initially highly controversial and provoked the mockery of the critics who claimed that Mitterrand had the burial chamber of the socialists built here. In response to allegations of the form associated with tombs, Pei replied:
“The shape is older than all Egyptian models. Besides, it is made of stone and heavy there, a work for the dead. My pyramid is light, it is life. "
Since the ancient Egyptians used the twelve-knot cord as an angle measuring instrument, the slope of Egyptian pyramids is always rational . In contrast, the slope of the Pei Glass Pyramid is calculated as an irrational slope. There is no such thing as an Egyptian pyramid with an irrational slope.
Mitterrand opened the glass pyramid on March 29, 1989. This first phase of construction was followed by a further expansion of the museum complex.
Data
The pyramid consists of 603 diamond-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments. It is 21.65 meters high, 35.42 meters wide, about 51 degrees steep and weighs about 180 tons. The angle of incline approx. 51 ° can be derived from the golden ratio . The exact theoretical pitch angle is .
Louvre glass pyramid in pop culture
In the film Edge of Tomorrow , the main battle ends under the glass pyramid.
See also
literature
- Christina Haberlik: 50 classics. 20th century architecture . Gerstenberg Verlag, Hildesheim 2001, ISBN 3-8067-2514-4 .
Web links
- Glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre. In: Structurae
- Glass construction data
- Detailed description and plans
Individual evidence
- ↑ Christina Haberlik: 50 classics. 20th century architecture . Gerstenberg Verlag, Hildesheim 2001, ISBN 3-8067-2514-4 .
- ↑ Deutsche Welle: Calendar sheet from March 29 , accessed on March 28, 2009
- ^ Louvre Pyramid. (No longer available online.) June 2005, archived from the original on January 12, 2002 ; Retrieved October 24, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 39.7 ″ N , 2 ° 20 ′ 9 ″ E