ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 21, 1993                   TAG: 9311210029
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PARIS                                LENGTH: Short

THOUSANDS OF VISITORS TOUR LOUVRE'S NEW WING

Thousands of tourists jammed what once were the exclusive digs of kings and finance ministers on Saturday when the Louvre Museum opened its new Richelieu wing to the public free of charge.

Named after the famed 17th-century French cardinal and statesman, the wing doubles the gallery space and allows the museum to display 25 percent more of its art collection.

To celebrate the addition, the museum was to operate free of charge all weekend, with special hours until midnight Saturday. By early afternoon, long lines snaked around the museum's glass pyramid entrance and the complex was declared full.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB