Louvre

Paris, France

The Louvre is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument and a central landmark of Paris. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres. The Louvre is the world's most visited museum, and received more than 9 million visitors annually.

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. 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, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed 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 royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic. The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

Among many others the most famous pieces of art are undoubtedly High Renaissance works by Leonardo da Vinci (Mona Lisa, Virgin of the Rocks), Caravaggio, Titian and many more.

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Address

Cour Carrée et Pyramide du Louvre, Paris, France
See all sites in Paris

Details

Founded: 1793
Category: Museums in France

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.louvre.fr

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Notre Dame de Paris (1,2 km)
Eiffel Tower (3,2 km)
Sacré-Coeur (2,9 km)
Arc de Triomphe (3,4 km)
Grand Palais (1,9 km)
Musée d'Orsay (0,8 km)
Place de la Concorde (1,3 km)
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (0,4 km)
Conciergerie (0,8 km)


Château de Versailles (17 km)
Château de Fontainebleau (57,5 km)
Château de Chantilly (38,6 km)
Basilica of St. Denis (8,5 km)
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (42,9 km)
Villa Savoye (23,7 km)
Château de Malmaison (12,5 km)
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (18,1 km)
Versailles Cathedral (17,1 km)

User Reviews

Tregele Panna (3 months ago)
Cool place to draw sculptures in the evenings when there are not as many people. I really liked the ancient stuff on the first two floors and can't wait to go back to see the rest of the museum. The building itself is beautiful too and the pyramids add a nice modern touch, but it still matches the vibe of the palace.
Ally Band (3 months ago)
We were able to visit the Louvre for free because we are European citizens and younger than 25. Even though there are many visitors the Louvre is not overcrowded. We expected the Mona Lisa to be bigger than she actually is but I am glad we were finally able to see one of the most famous women of all the time. Also be prepared to be there for a long time.
Vaishali Patil (3 months ago)
Beautiful and picture perfect place. Spend some time outside also. The exterior architecture is worth to be admired. Just opposite is the famous Note Dame Church. Keep yourself safe. Beware of local group/gangs who may indulge you in money lounging.
Sérgio Silva (3 months ago)
What an amazing place. You feel in awe just to step inside. The draws are awesome, Venus, victory, la joconda, but to find out all there is inside is truly what this museum is all about. So many amazing works of art it's unbelievable. You could be a week here and still don't see everything, but with the right plan you can spend a lovely afternoon and still be satisfied. Awesome!
ganesan ganesan (4 months ago)
Superb! Huge museum! Prepare to get a proper guide there as you definitely won't be able to see every single exhibit there in 1 day. Full of art and history with amazing stories behind each painting and sculpture. Amazing! Simply an amazing museum! Make sure to do some research before heading there in order to connect with the art and exhibits there!
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Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

In 1986 the Porta Nigra was designated a World Heritage Site, along with other Roman monuments in Trier and its surroundings. The modern appearance of the Porta Nigra goes back almost unchanged to the reconstruction ordered by Napoleon. At the south side of the Porta Nigra, remains of Roman columns line the last 100 m of the street leading to the gate. Positioned where they had stood in Roman times, they give a slight impression of the aspect of the original Roman street that was lined with colonnades. The Porta Nigra, including the upper floors, is open to visitors.

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