Place du Louvre

The Place du Louvre sits at the threshold of a site that began as a defensive fortress in the late twelfth century. King Philip Augustus built this original structure to protect the western flank of Paris from potential English invaders. Beneath your feet lie the remnants of that military past, including a deep moat and a massive keep that once defined the city's edge. This strategic location was so secure that the kings of France chose to store their royal treasury within its walls long before it became a place of artistic display.