Written by TRAVELER Luxe
The Louvre in Paris is one of France’s most stunning sights and a must-visit destination for art lovers around the world. To alleviate the ever-growing annual crowds, the Louvre launched a satellite museum plan in 2003. The final decision was to establish the branch in Lens, a former coal mining city in northern France with a population of just 35,000. The Louvre-Lens not only aims to bring culture and art to a town with a long mining history but also values its prime location — approximately a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Paris and close to both Brussels and London, making it extremely convenient for travelers.
The world-famous glass pyramid in front of the Louvre, a masterpiece by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, is full of avant-garde creativity. (Image credit: Mook Editorial Department)
The Japanese architectural firm SANAA, responsible for the design of the satellite museum, successfully created a new Louvre branch that closely connects with the surrounding natural environment while presenting a fresh and modern look. Like a flowing river, the Louvre-Lens, covering a total area of about 28,000 square meters and stretching 360 meters in length, uses a large amount of transparent glass curtain walls and polished aluminum panels, allowing light to freely permeate through. Its soft, minimalist lines and transparency break away from tradition — there are no walls at all, letting the artworks speak for themselves and creating an unrestricted open space.
The Louvre-Lens has even brought Eugène Delacroix’s iconic painting “Liberty Leading the People” from the main Louvre museum, symbolizing that this brand-new cultural institution will usher in a new cultural revolution for this once-declining city. The architects also deliberately preserved the remains of former coal mines, turning them into a unique landscape in the park outside the museum, ensuring that visitors do not forget the city’s once-glorious past.
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With the opening of the Louvre-Lens, the industrial city with a long mining history will embrace even more artistic and cultural vibrancy. (Image credit: Louvre-Lens)