An entire neighborhood will be transformed... After the numerous announcements about the New Louvre made by French President Emmanuel Macron on January 28, 2025, regarding the transformation of the museum and its access(new entrance on rue de l'Amiral de Coligny, new independent room for the Mona Lisa, new rates for foreign tourists...), it's now the turn of the City of Paris to make its own announcements at a press conference.
What are these announcements? According to a press release, the town hall intends to launch a project to transform the area around the museum, with a redevelopment of the district and a greening of the urban space. This redevelopment is in line with municipal policies aimed at adapting public space and encouraging pedestrianization. The aim is to improve accessibility and enjoyment of the site for museum visitors.
This project comes at a time when the president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, has recently highlighted the dilapidated state of the monument. The City of Paris is supporting this renovation project, and wishes to include the surrounding areas in a process of upgrading. In particular, it is considering opening up the museum to the Colonnade façade, with a view to transforming theesplanade and rue de l'Amiral de Coligny into a more pedestrian-friendly space. This transformation would also make the most of theSaint-Jean-l'Auxerrois church and theformer 1st arrondissement town hall, now dedicated to young people.
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, reacted to these announcements: " I welcome the President's announcements, which will help to improve the reception of visitors to the Louvre, one of the jewels of French culture. In coordination with the French government, the City of Paris is looking into ways of improving the area around the Louvre, following on from the first stage, which reduced car traffic on rue de Rivoli ", she explains. This initiative is part of a wider series of urban redevelopments, including the traffic-calmed zone in central Paris, and the upgrading of other cultural spaces such as the area around Notre-Dame and the Place du Châtelet.
This project thus pursues the municipal objective of transforming public space, in line with previous emblematic projects. The closure of rue de Rivoli to through traffic and the addition of bicycle lanes marked the first phase of adaptation. The next stage will see these improvements extended to provide a calmer, more accessible environment for pedestrians and visitors to the Louvre.
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