Paris Weekend Break

The Louvre

The Louvre is reputed to be the most visited museum and gallery in the world and can get an astonishing 65,000 visitors per day.. (Annual average visitor numbers are however closer to 22,000 visitors per day.) Fortunately it is also one of (if not) the biggest museum in the world and therefore all of its guests can be accommodated as they soak up its numerous displays

The beginnings of the Louvre date back to the late eighteenth century when the “then” Central Museum of Arts became the recipient of a multitude of art treasures from Napoleon’s conquests across Europe.

The collections swelled and included many sculptures and works from Italy and the museum even took on the name of its illustrious benefactor, Musee Napoleon.

Unfortunately for the museum, Napoleon’s military success was terminated at the battle of Waterloo and many of the prized exhibits were subjected to forced repatriation by their country of origin.

The Louvre building

The history of the Louvre building is every bit as interesting as that of the museum and its exhibits. A building has occupied the spot on which the museum now stands since the end of the twelfth century, but the oldest parts of the present day building date back to 1535 and additions made during the reign of King Henry IV. Both Henry and his successor, Louis XIII, made significant changes and extensions to the building and by the time of the French revolution the structure was immense.

Recent times have also seen the Louvre Buildings added to and amended, and in controversial form, not least of which with the inclusion of the “pyramid” entrance in 1989.

The Louvre Exhibits

The Louvre holds over 380,000 individual works of art with up to 35,000 exhibits on display at any one time. Most displays are sorted by department, with examples being French artists and sculpture, a system introduced two centuries ago. The departments comprise what is seen as the permanent “core” displays and they are exhibited across an area of over 60,500 square metres.

Notable items in the museum include, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Madona and child from the thirteenth century, Rembrandt’s the pilgrims of Emmaus and a portrait of Louis XIV by Rigaud.

Those with a casual interest in art will enjoy this museum and get to see some of the iconic paintings of world history. Its appeal covers all ages. Those with a more intense interest may need to spread their visit over multiple days.

Tourist information

The nearest Metro station to the Louvre is the Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre station.

TIP - The Louvre is just one of many tourist attractions that are included in a “Paris Pass”. Pre-buying one of these passes gives you automatic admission to over 50 popular Paris visitor attractions without the need to queue for tickets on arrival.