Tour du coin (Louvre)

The Louvre features a facade punctuated by rhythmic, paired columns and a deep, continuous frieze that stretches along the Seine. Originally constructed as a fortress in the late twelfth century to protect Paris from Viking raids, it served as a royal residence before the court departed for Versailles. In seventeen ninety-three, revolutionaries opened the palace to the public as a museum. Its massive scale reflects the ambitions of successive kings who tore down and rebuilt sections to broadcast their own power.