Louvre Museum

The Louvre or Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum.

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. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, 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. As of 2008, 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.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Louvre Museum facts:

• What we know today as the Louvre was originally built as a fortress by Phillip II in the 12th century
• The fortress was continually altered throughout the Middle Ages
• In 1546, Francis I acquired Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting and renovated the fortress Renaissance style, giving rise to the Louvre Palace
• In 1682 Louis XIV chose Versailles as his primary residence, and from then until the French Revolution the Louvre became an exhibition of the royal collections and a residence for French artists
• In 1791, the newly formed French Assembly declared the Louvre "a place for bringing together monuments of all the sciences and arts"
• In 1792, Louis XVI was imprisoned and the royal collection became national property
• In 1793 the museum opened its doors to the public
• In 1848, the government of the French Second Republic paid two million francs to repair the existing museum and to complete its galleries
• During WWII the museum was cleared until after France's liberation in 1945
• The Musée du Louvre is currently home to some of the world's most noted pieces of art and ancient artifacts
• The museum gained fame again when it was cited as the alleged final resting place of Mary Magdalene in the film "The Da Vinci Code"

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wB9WTHaZUo&hd=1

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Louvre

http://www.visit-and-travel-france.com

Posted in: France