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The Louvre is the largest museum in the world, and one of the most visited. It displays an estimated 35,000 paintings, sculptures and other works of art, and houses thousands of other objects in its collections. The Pyramid at the Louvre is a controversial addition to the museum; it was built in 1989 and designed by I. M. Pei. It covers the visitor entrance hall and features more than 666 panes of glass. It would take 100 days to see everything in the Louvre if you looked at each item for 30 seconds, all day without a break. There are also several hundred thousand items not on display. Originally built as a fortress in the 12th century to protect Parisians against Viking attacks, the Louvre became a museum in 1793, during the French Revolution. It has also been used as a prison, and as an office for the finance ministry.
