This Louvre branch aims to revive the economy of the declining city of Lens. In this large coal mining center, all mines were closed in the 1960s, and only the right to host the famous museum won in a competition gave the local residents hope for a way out of the protracted crisis.
The Louvre II is located in a former coal mining area of 62 hectares. The building with an area of 28,000 m2 consists of 5 main one-storey buildings, connected to each other by "corners". They contain a lobby, halls for temporary and permanent exhibitions. The underground premises house a storeroom, restoration workshops and other utility rooms.
The facades are made of aluminum and transparent glass; overhead lighting is widely used in the interior. Outside, the walls of the building give a blurred reflection of the surrounding landscape; when viewed from the inside, the building almost disappears into the air, without distracting attention from the exhibits.
It is planned to show in Lance works of the first row from the Louvre collection. There should be many foreign tourists among the visitors: Calais is located within an hour's drive, where ferries and Eurostar trains go from the UK, the Belgian border is very close, the Netherlands is also not far away.
N. F.
