Paris
Reuters
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The Louvre, the most visited museum in the world and the house of “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci, asked for urgent help from the French government to restore and renovate its aging exhibition halls and better protect its countless works of ‘art.
In a letter to the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, revealed by the Daily Paris in Paris, and confirmed to Reuters by the Louvre, the president of the Louvre Laurence des Cars warned that the building old centuries was in a disastrous state, and has pointed out problems with water leaks and “disturbing temperature oscillations that endanger the conservation of works of art.”
Built in Paris at the end of the 12th century, the Palais du Louvre for centuries was the official residence of the kings of France, up to Louis XIV – with rebel crowds in Paris – the abandoned for Versailles, after which it became A museum for royal art collection in 1793.
Last year, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors, who all entered through the Western Pyramid-shaped entrance, designed by the architect Im Pei, who himself became problematic because his greenhouse effect Make the Louvre’s underground reception uncomfortable on summer days.
A visit to the Louvre, wrote the head of the museum, has become “a physical test”, works of art being difficult to find due to an inadequate signaling, a lack of space so that visitors can do Insufficient break and food and sanitary facilities.
Designed to receive four million visitors per year, the Louvre experienced a record attendance of 10.2 million visitors in 2018, but cars – which were appointed in 2021 – imposed a limit of 30,000 visitors per day in order to ‘Avoid overcrowding.
The letter from the cars did not mention the funding, but the French television information channel BFM said that renovation costs could amount to 500 million euros ($ 525 million), which would be a Challenge for the government of President Emmanuel Macron, who had trouble obtaining his 2025 budget approved by Parliament.
The Parisian reported that talks are underway between the Macron office, the Ministry of Culture and the Louvre. A source close to Macron’s office confirmed that “the president followed this question carefully for several months”.
The Ministry of Culture did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
After his first election in 2017, Macron gave his victory speech to the Louvre, while the Tuileries gardens around the old palace also played a leading role at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In addition to a renovation from top to bottom, the museum also plans to build a new wing for the “Mona Lisa”, as well as a new entry at the eastern end of the museum, to relieve congestion at the pyramidal entrance.
