Louvre, Paris, France - SpottingHistory

The Louvre is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument and a central landmark of Paris. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres. The Louvre is the world's most visited museum, and received more than 9 million visitors annually.

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic. The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

Among many others the most famous pieces of art are undoubtedly High Renaissance works by Leonardo da Vinci (Mona Lisa, Virgin of the Rocks), Caravaggio, Titian and many more.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jaime Reina Zambrano (7 months ago)
It is a must that you have to visit if you have the opportunity. An incredible and unique experience. Another level of being inmerse in a time travel experience. Enjoying and experiencing first hand human capabilities of doing amazing things, art, sculptures, paintings. 100 per cent recommended. Try to visit this place as early as possible. It is huge.

Thobias Elands (Thom) (9 months ago)
I highly recommend purchasing tickets, especially for weekend visits. After all, it's 2024! You'll have a fantastic time immersing yourself in this museum for a full day. It boasts an impressive collection of historical artifacts, including the iconic Mona Lisa. It's truly worth every penny, and it's the largest museum I've had the pleasure of exploring.

Miguel B (9 months ago)
Incredible museum with thousands of works of art. It’s a place where you can lose yourself inside the history. We spent just 2 hours there but it can take the entire day or more! We strongly recommend buying tickets online to avoid the long queue.

M Kin (9 months ago)
Stunning! Starting from the outside - the building itself is a sight to see. It is totally understandable why it used to be an imperial palace. Great location for beautiful pictures of Paris. The molding and the statues on the building are impressive. Moving on to the inside - the building is just as impressive. The ceilings are a work of art itself. The corridors are very spacious and nice to walk through. Walls and walls of art, literally every style and time period you can imagine. Statues, gold, plates, rugs, mantles, paintings, Crown Jewels and many more. The only downside of the Louvre is that it is GIANT, so please plan your trip ahead! Otherwise you won't see everything you'd like to see because you will run out of time. We did not see the Mona Lisa, it was too crowded. But I was not sad about that, other works of art were even more impressive than the Mona Lisa.

natasha Rode-Christoffersen (9 months ago)
It was beautiful I spent a little under half a day there and I really enjoyed myself. The entire museum was beautiful but my favorite part was definitely the fine art upstairs. You can get free tickets on the website (if you meet certain requirements) but be sure to get them early whether the same day or a couple of days before if you’re going during the busy season.

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