2003: A new step toward cultural decentralization

27 May 2003: Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the then Minister for Culture and Communication, makes a speech in favor of decentralizing Paris's great cultural institutions.

November 2003: Lens puts forward a proposal to host a branch of the Musée du Louvre, along with Arras, Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Valenciennes, and Amiens. Béthune initially put forward a proposal, which was later withdrawn.

2004: Lens is chosen

July 2004: Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, the then Minister for Culture and Communication, visits the sites put forward by the six competing towns and cities.

29 November 2004: The then Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin names Lens as the host city for the new Louvre.

2005: Designing the Musée du Louvre-Lens

21 January 2005: TheNord-Pas de Calais region, contractor and principal financial backer for the future museum, launches an international architecture competition.

29 April 2005: Six architects are shortlisted from a field of 124 projects.
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12 May 2005: The French State, the Musée du Louvre, and the local authorities sign a protocol laying out the legal, technical, and financial conditions for the future museum.

13 July 2005: The steering committee with representatives from all the relevant regional partners meets for the first time and appoints a smaller operating committee to follow the project.

26 September 2005: The Nord-Pas de Calais region examines the six shortlisted projects and declares the Japanese agency Sanaa the winner.

2006: Work gets underway

Early 2006: Operating studies are launched. These focus on potential visitors to the museum, issues of accessibility and integrating the museum into the urban fabric, seeking sponsorship, and technical studies of the topography, ground conditions, geothermy, and so on.

11 April 2006: In the presence of the Minister for Culture and Communication, Henri Loyrette, president of the Louvre, welcomes elected representatives from the Nord-Pas de Calais region for a special visit of the Musée du Louvre in Paris.Learn more
May 14, 2006: The first "Route du Louvre Run" was organized between Lille and the site of the future Louvre-Lens, at the initiative of the regional athletics league. The event, which can qualify participants for the French marathon championships, also features a 10 km run and a range of walks; it has already become a major annual sporting event.
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6 October 2006: A number of regional councillors and members of the regional social and economic council visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to study its economic and social benefits for the Basque region.

26 October 2006: The president of the region, the president of the Louvre, and the mayor of Lens, in Japan to visit the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, designed by the Sanaa agency, study the latest developments in the architectural project for Louvre-Lens.

2007-2008, validation of the project and building permit

17 January 2007: Danuta Hübner, European Union commissioner for regional policy, visits Lens on the invitation of Daniel Percheron, president of the regional council.

21 May 2007: The pre-project for the design presented by the Sanaa agency is approved by the Region and all other partners.

15-16 September 2007: "Trumpets in the Tuileries!" gathered together more than 300 amateur musicians from Pas-de-Calais in the Louvre's gardens.
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15 October 2007: The first Louvre-Lens Belfry opens in Louvroil on the subject of "the magic of writing".
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November 12, 2007: The final pre-project is validated by the Nord-Pas de Calais Regional Council, contractor for the project.

April 26, 2008: The second "Louvre-Lens Belfry" is inaugurated at Bruay-la-Buissière on the theme of "Horizon Dreams". The exhibition is centered on a painting by Turner.
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June 2008: After a first, inconclusive, invitation to tender for the construction work, a new bid invitation is prepared.

July 23, 2008: The museum building permit is granted by the Prefect of the Pas-de-Calais department.

2009-2012: Building work gets underway

2009: The first stone is laid in a building project that is scheduled to last at least two years.

2012: This is the year the museum is forecast to open, if there are no delays in the building project.