Louvre Museum in Paris is world's one of the oldest, largest, and most famous museums. Louvre Museum in French is known as Musée du Louvre. This world famous art museum of Paris reflects the rich culture and tradition of France. Located in the I arrondissment on the right bank between the two rivers, Rue de Rivoli and Seine, the Louvre Museum is one of the chief attraction of Europe. People from all over the world visit Paris to see this museum. Tourists can reach Louvre by taking a metro to the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre metro station, which is located near the museum.
History of Louvre Museum in Paris
Since the late 12th century the Louvre has undergone several architectural changes. This fortress was converted into residential area for François I and, later on into the palace of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Philippe Auguste ruled the country for forty three years, resulting in the popularity of the French monarchy. A wall was constructed in 1190 in Paris, to defend the city from the threat of Anglo-Norman kings, which was called the Louvre. This fort was built on the banks of the Seine to the west of the city.
Some of the other rulers like Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI contributed to the expansion of the palace.
Exhibits of Louvre Museum in Paris
More than 380,000 objects are featured in the Louvre museum in Paris, thus making it one of the finest museums in the world. The museum exhibits 35,000 works of art, which are exhibited in an exhibition hall of nearly 60,600 sq. m.
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The 11,900 paintings of Louvre are the main attractions of the museum, of which 6,000 painting are on permanent display and 5,900 paintings are kept in deposit. The museum enjoys the distinction of being the second largest collection of western art in the world. Numerous works of legendary artists like Van Dyck, Poussin, Fragonard, Rembrandt, David, Rubens and Titian are displayed here. The Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo are some of the beautiful sculptures included in the art collection. Baron Edmond de Rothschild's (1845 – 1934) donated a collection in the year 1935. It comprises of 500 illustrated books; 40,000 engravings and about 3,000 drawings.
Some of the notable paintings that are showcased in the museum are:
- The Madonna and Christ Child
- Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
- The Virgin and Child with St.Anne by Leonardo da Vinci
- La Raie by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
- Portrait of Balthazar Castiglione by Raphael
- Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix
Apart from drawings and paintings, the Louvre features many other exhibits, constituting archeological objects, sculptures and other artifacts. The permanent galleries of Louvre museum in Paris display exceptional pieces of furniture.
In the year 2006, a glass pyramid was constructed at the central courtyard of the museum to add to the beauty of Louvre Museum. This pyramid is the main entrance that leads to the museum.
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