LOUVRE

p1020740 — *Website Hours/Admission Tickets Interactive Floor Plan*

The Louvre is the world’s largest museum and a historic monument housing nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 652,300 square feet. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to the urban expansion of the city, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function and, in 1578, was converted by Francis I of France into the main residence of the French Kings. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection. During the French Revolution, the National Assemblydecreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation’s masterpieces. The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being confiscated royal and church property.

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