Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the world’s major museums and occupies a former royal palace. Its history began in 1190, when King Philip II, known as Philip Augustus, had a fortress built on the site to defend Paris. The Louvre became a royal residence in 1364 and was enlarged and transformed by successive rulers. The Grande Galerie was built between 1595 and 1610 under Henry IV. During the French Revolution, a decree in 1791 assigned the Louvre to the arts, and the Muséum central des arts opened to the public in 1793.

Over time, the palace was progressively adapted to house and display growing collections from many periods and regions. Today, the museum covers more than 73,000 square metres of exhibition space and presents about 35,000 works of art. Its collections range from ancient civilizations to European art of the first half of the 19th century. Among the best-known works are Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo.

Yet the Louvre is not simply a place for famous paintings and sculptures: its collections include archaeology, drawings, decorative arts and works from many parts of the world. The building itself is also part of the story. A major modernization project, known as the Grand Louvre, transformed the museum between 1981 and 1989. Its most visible feature is the glass pyramid designed by architect I. M. Pei, inaugurated in 1989 in the Cour Napoléon.

The pyramid serves as a main entrance and brings natural light into the underground reception area. Beneath and around the modern structure, visitors can still see remains of the medieval fortress as well as centuries of royal architecture. The Louvre therefore combines several layers of history: a medieval fortress, a royal palace and a modern museum that continues to preserve, study and present its collections.