Louvre Museum in Paris, France

History of Louvre Museum

Located within the grand Louvre Palace by the River Seine in the romantic city’s heart, the museum was originally built as a castle in the 12th-13th century under Philip II. In 1546, it became the main residence of the French monarchy, and the first time it became a place of the display was when Louis XIV shifted his home to Versailles and started using this palace for his Roman and Greek art collections in 1682. It is after the French Revolution that the Louvre Museum history took a turn, as it was opened as a museum in 1793 with 537 paintings. Over the years, the collection has only been enriched, with Napoleon adding a lion’s share to the display.

Collections of Louvre Museum

The collection of Louvre artworks is divided into eight curatorial categories – Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Islamic, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Paintings, Prints, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, and Drawings. Needless to say, the prime attraction of Louvre is the legendary, once-stolen Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece Monalisa, which was further popularised amidst the non-art enthusiast world by Dan Brown’s fascinating novel Da Vinci Code. Apart from this, one must definitely take a peek into popular pieces of Michelangelo’s Dying Slave, Law Code of Hammurabi, Botticelli’s Venus with Three Graces, Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People and of course, the grand Louvre pyramid that serves as the main entrance to the museum.

The Louvre Museum is one of the most stunning places to visit in Paris. The rich collection that the museum exhibits fetches the attention of everyone. People who have deep admirability for art and architecture come to this museum as soon as they reach Paris. The Louvre Museum is one of the highlighted landmarks in Paris. Various events and exhibitions also take place at the Louvre Museum which is worth the visit. One must definitely attend these events and exhibitions as one will get to know a lot about the history of Paris through these events and exhibitions. Overall, we are sure your ticket to the Louvre Museum will be worth the visit.