Museé du Louvre, Paris, France

The Louvre dates back to 1190 when King Phillipe Auguste ordered the construction of protective walls and Louvre was the castle in the junction between the walls and the river Seine. It had a square plan, was protected by a moat and circular defensive towers at its corners and in the middle of its sides. In the centre of the courtyard stood a tower with its own moat. At the time the Louvre was located in the outer limits of Paris. The foundations of this period are viewable in the basement level of the Louvre museum.
A dense urban district gradually grew around it, taking away its protective purpose. For a few centuries, the French kings mainly resided in the Loire Valley, but that changed in the 16th century when King François I was defeated at the Battle of Pavia (1525) and held captive in Spain. On his return, he wanted to regain control of the capital and declared the Louvre his main residence. The medieval castle was then razed in favour of a larger royal residence but the main work was only done during the reign of King Henri II.
In the 17th century, King Louis XIV decided to move the seat of government to Versailles to get away from the political turmoil in Paris. Nevertheless, he completed the Cour Carré.
With the French Revolution, King Louis XVI was forced to return and all regimes of French rule, until 1870, had their seat at the Tuileries Palace. However, in 1871, during the suppression of the Paris Commune, the Tuileries Palace was set on fire and completely destroyed, remaining only the Arc de Triomphe du Caroussel.
The Louvre Complex is thus divided in "Old Louvre", the medieval and renaissance buildings surrounding the Cour Carré, and the "New Louvre", the 19th-century pavillions. The last major renovation was in 1983 when the last government services were moved from the building and the modernist glass pyramid was built.
The Louvre museum opened in 1793 with and exhibition of 537 paintings and 184 objects of art, the majority of works being royal or confiscated church property.The collection was increased under Napoleon and during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X. During the second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces, and bequests and donations since the Third Republic have further enlarged the collection, which is divided into nine curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, Prints and Drawings and the Pavillion de l'Horloge. It's the largest museum in the world and the second most visited.

Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 9.45 p.m. on Wed. and Fri., closed on Tue.
Entrance fee (standard): €17 ( to avoid queues you can buy your tickets online).
How to go: Palays-Royal- Musee du Louvre metro station; buses 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95.















Local: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, França

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