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Sculpture garden in the Louvre Museum. The Louvre was originally built as a fortress just before the King left for the Crusades around the year 1200. The high walls of the Louvre were built by King Philippe Auguste's engineers to protect the citizens of Paris from the Seine river, where invaders could attack. After more than 500 years as a fortress, the majority of the fortress was replaced by an elegant and comfortable palace to serve as the private library of Charles V, home to the royal family and their servants, and studios for various artists. The Louvre served as a palace until the French Revolution in 1789. After the French Revolution, the Louvre became an art museum. The most recent addition to the palace are the pyramids, built in the late 1980s. The Louvre is famous not only for the Mona Lisa and one of the finest art collections in the world, but also for American architect I.M. Pei's modern entrance. Paris, France. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO/David R. Frazier) === ===