Carrousel du Louvre

Carrousel du Louvre is an underground shopping, dining, cultural and visitor complex in Paris's 1st arrondissement. It occupies approximately 10,200 square metres beneath and around the Louvre district at 99 Rue de Rivoli, close to the Louvre Museum, the Tuileries Garden, the Comédie-Française and the Musée d'Orsay. The complex is connected to the Louvre and includes one of the museum's public entrances, making it both a retail destination and part of the wider visitor infrastructure surrounding one of the world's best-known museums. The name combines references to the Louvre and the nearby Place du Carrousel. The development opened in October 1993 as an underground extension of the central Paris experience, using a location in which retail, food service, tourism and cultural programming could coexist. Its architectural identity is strongly associated with La Pyramide Inversée, or the Inverted Pyramid, a large glass skylight designed as a counterpart to the Louvre Pyramid above ground. The skylight became especially recognizable internationally after it featured in Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, although the literary association is separate from the shopping centre's commercial operation. The centre has historically accommodated about 33 shops and 11 restaurants, together with a food court, a convention centre and exhibition facilities. Its tenant mix has included fashion, beauty, accessories, gifts, specialist food and luxury-oriented retail. Examples cited in descriptions of the centre include Sephora, Esprit, Mariage Frères, Plaisirs de Paris, Swarovski, Perigot, Le Tanneur and Fossil. The first Apple Store in France was also located at Carrousel du Louvre, giving the centre an important role in the early development of Apple's French retail presence. The site has additionally contained a McDonald's restaurant in its Restaurants du Monde food area; that opening attracted controversy because of the perceived tension between global fast food, the historic Louvre setting and the cultural character of the surrounding district. Carrousel du Louvre is not simply a conventional suburban shopping mall. Its positioning depends on a combination of central Paris accessibility, proximity to a major cultural institution, tourist footfall and an architectural environment that is itself a destination. The nearest Metro station is Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre, served by Lines 1 and 7. The complex is managed by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and operates within the company's portfolio of major shopping destinations. The venue also supports art-related activity. The Société Nationale des Beaux Arts holds its annual Salon du Carrousel du Louvre there, presenting works by painters, sculptors, engravers, photographers and illustrators. In 2018, the salon reportedly brought together around 600 artists and approximately 15,000 visitors over four days. This recurring exhibition activity reinforces the centre's relationship with contemporary art and the Louvre environment. On 3 February 2017, the complex was the scene of an attempted attack in which a man armed with machetes moved toward soldiers on security patrol. One soldier sustained a slight injury before the assailant was shot and wounded. The incident brought renewed attention to security around major Paris tourist sites, but it did not change the centre's identity as an operating retail and cultural complex.

Carrousel du Louvre was developed as an underground retail and visitor complex in the Louvre district of Paris and opened in October 1993. Its location beneath Rue de Rivoli and near the Place du Carrousel allowed the project to connect commercial activity with the museum, the Tuileries Garden and other central Paris attractions. Rather than operating as an isolated shopping centre, it was conceived as part of a dense urban and cultural environment, with direct circulation to the Louvre and access from the Paris Metro network. The complex's name reflects its setting between the Louvre and the Place du Carrousel. Its most recognizable architectural feature is La Pyramide Inversée, a glass inverted pyramid that functions as a skylight. The structure visually echoes the Louvre Pyramid above ground and has become an important identifying symbol for the site. Its visibility was further increased by its role in The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's 2003 novel, which helped associate the underground space with popular culture as well as with the museum district. Commercially, Carrousel du Louvre has hosted a mix of approximately 33 stores and 11 restaurants. The tenant profile has included international and French brands in fashion, beauty, accessories, jewellery, specialty food, gifts and home-related products. Sephora, Esprit, Mariage Frères, Plaisirs de Paris, Swarovski, Perigot, Le Tanneur and Fossil are among the tenants identified in descriptions of the centre. The first Apple Store in France was also established there, giving the complex a notable place in the early history of Apple's French retail network. Food and beverage facilities have included the Restaurants du Monde food court and a McDonald's restaurant. The latter generated controversy because some observers viewed a global fast-food outlet in the Louvre setting as incompatible with the area's historic and cultural character. The centre also includes exhibition and convention space. Its relationship with the arts is particularly visible through the annual Salon du Carrousel du Louvre organized by the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts, an artists' association founded in the nineteenth century. The salon accommodates painters, sculptors, engravers, photographers and illustrators. In 2018, approximately 600 artists were reported to have exhibited before about 15,000 visitors during a four-day programme, illustrating how the complex functions as a venue for contemporary art in addition to retail. Carrousel du Louvre became part of the operating portfolio managed by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. The centre's business proposition rests on a combination of high tourist traffic, proximity to the Louvre, public transport access, distinctive architecture and a curated retail and dining offer. Its approximately 10,200-square-metre footprint is relatively compact compared with large suburban malls, but its location gives it a strong destination role in central Paris. Security became a major part of the site's public history on 3 February 2017. An Egyptian man aged 29 attempted to attack soldiers in the complex with machetes. One soldier suffered a slight injury before the attacker was shot and wounded. The event occurred in a period of heightened concern about attacks at French tourist sites and highlighted the security pressures affecting places that combine cultural tourism, transport access and commercial activity. Today, Carrousel du Louvre remains an underground shopping and cultural destination in the Louvre district. Its identity is shaped less by a single retail category than by the interaction of stores, restaurants, museum access, exhibition programming and the symbolic power of the Louvre setting.

• 2018

  Salon exhibition attracts artists and visitors

  [1]Carrousel du Louvreen.wikipedia.org

  The annual Salon du Carrousel du Louvre presents approximately 600 artists and draws about 15,000 visitors over four days.

• 2017

  Attempted attack at the complex

  [1]Carrousel du Louvreen.wikipedia.org

  An attacker injures a soldier slightly before being shot and wounded during an attempted attack on 3 February.

• 2003

  The Inverted Pyramid gains wider popular recognition

  [1]Carrousel du Louvreen.wikipedia.org

  La Pyramide Inversée is featured in Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code, increasing the cultural visibility of the complex's architectural landmark.

• 1993

  Carrousel du Louvre opens

  [1]Carrousel du Louvreen.wikipedia.org

  The underground shopping and visitor complex opens in October in Paris's 1st arrondissement.

A centrally located Paris retail and cultural destination that combines shopping, dining, tourism, architecture and access to the Louvre environment.

• Fashion, beauty and specialty retail · 1993

  Retail stores

  The centre's principal commercial offer consists of stores serving visitors, tourists and local shoppers. The historical tenant mix has included beauty retailer Sephora, fashion retailer Esprit, tea specialist Mariage Frères, jewellery and accessories brands, leather goods, gifts and home-related products. Other cited tenants include Plaisirs de Paris, Swarovski, Perigot, Le Tanneur and Fossil.

• Food court and restaurants

  Restaurants du Monde

  Restaurants du Monde is the complex's food-court and dining area, bringing together several restaurant concepts for museum visitors, tourists, workers and shoppers. Its tenant history has included a controversial McDonald's location, reflecting the centre's mixture of international convenience dining and a highly historic cultural setting.

• Contemporary art exhibition

  Salon du Carrousel du Louvre

  The annual Salon organized by the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts presents painting, sculpture, engraving, photography and illustration. It gives the complex a recurring cultural programme distinct from its retail operations and reinforces its connection with the Louvre district.

• 2017

  Attempted attack near the Louvre

  On 3 February 2017, a man armed with machetes attempted to attack soldiers in the complex. One soldier was slightly injured, and the attacker was shot and wounded.

  Source

• Controversy over a McDonald's restaurant

  The presence of a McDonald's restaurant in the Restaurants du Monde food area prompted criticism and public debate over the suitability of a global fast-food brand in a complex associated with the Louvre and Parisian cultural heritage.

  Source

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• 2018Salon du Carrousel du Louvre

  France

  The Société Nationale des Beaux Arts used the complex as the venue for its annual salon, presenting works by hundreds of artists across multiple visual-art disciplines.

  Outcome. The 2018 edition reportedly featured approximately 600 artists and attracted around 15,000 visitors in four days.

  Source

• 1993

  Launch an underground retail destination in the Louvre districtStrategy

  Background

  The project placed a shopping and dining complex beneath a highly visited historic and cultural area of central Paris.

  Action taken

  Carrousel du Louvre opened with retail, restaurants, visitor connections and facilities for exhibitions and conventions.

  Aftermath

  The centre developed a destination model based on museum proximity, tourist traffic, distinctive architecture and urban accessibility.

  Source

• Host France's first Apple StoreProduct launch

  Background

  The centre sought internationally recognizable tenants able to benefit from its central location and large tourist audience.

  Action taken

  Carrousel du Louvre hosted Apple's first retail store in France.

  Aftermath

  The location became a notable milestone in Apple's French retail expansion and strengthened the centre's international tenant profile.

  Source

1. 1Carrousel du Louvreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Carrousel du Louvre - Westfieldwestfield.com