Great gallery of the Louvre. The Louvre Museum is a French national treasure. Ticket prices and where to buy them
There is probably no person in the world who does not know what the Louvre in Paris is. The majestic medieval palace, the former residence of the French monarchs and the most visited. The emotions received from the contemplation of the world masterpieces presented here are so vivid and unforgettable that they will not leave indifferent even a person who is very far from art. The museum is a must visit for anyone planning to visit Paris.
The Louvre is rightly called one of the world's major architectural celebrities. Its beauty is multifaceted and varied. In intricate patterns of stone, wood and glass, the breath of centuries has stopped, dozens of craftsmen who worked to create a masterpiece have left their mark. The walls of the Louvre heard a million secrets, witnessed significant historical events, and the floorboards felt the weight of the steps of many great people. The atmosphere of the mysterious building is unique and unforgettable!
History of the Louvre
In Paris, and indeed in all of Europe, you will not find a second palace that has the harmony and elegance inherent in the Louvre. Its unsurpassed beauty has been created over several centuries. The old Louvre began to be built in the XII century, and the oldest part of the palace that has survived to this day was erected in 1546, while the completion of construction dates back to 1857. During this period, France saw 13 kings, 2 emperors and 2 republics. Despite such a long period of construction, multiple changes of eras and a combination of various styles of construction, today we are witnessing a well-coordinated architectural ensemble.
The beginning of construction was laid by King Philip Augustus. By his order, a defensive tower was built on the western border of Paris. The place of its location was called Lupara, from there the name of the Louvre castle came from.
At the beginning of its existence, the tower served as a function. Later, they began to store the treasury in it, then it served as a prison and an arsenal. The Louvre became the residence of the French monarchs in Paris during the reign of Charles V. It was he who commissioned the architect Raymond du Temple to reconstruct the existing building. Thanks to the efforts of this master, the palace acquired royal grandeur and became comfortable for living. New buildings with spacious halls were erected. Light penetrated into the interior through huge glazed windows, the walls were decorated with frescoes and wooden carvings. The main decoration of the renovated Louvre was the huge solemn staircase "Big Screw".
Construction continues
The luxurious palace was renovated and rebuilt several times during the Renaissance. Dozens of architects worked on its arrangement, trying to bring the ensemble to perfection. At this time, a gallery was built connecting the Louvre with
The Louvre received a new round of development under Henry IV. The monarch was so passionate about art that he invited artists to his residence, providing them with spacious, bright workshops for creativity. Thus, the Louvre Palace in Paris became the birthplace of many masterpieces of French painting.
During the reign of Louis XIV, the palace was in decline and almost completely lost its status as a royal residence. The monarch settled in Versailles, and only sculptors, painters and architects remained in the Louvre. At this time, there were even plans to demolish the palace. Fortunately, they were never implemented.
The French Revolution made its own adjustments to the life of the palace. From the beginning of the reign of Napoleon III, it ceased to be the residence of the ruling dynasty and acquired the status of the Central Museum of Art.
At the same time, the construction of the main part of the palace is being completed - the Richelieu wing is being built.
First exhibits
The first exhibits of the museum were paintings by Italian masters obtained from the royal collections. Some of them were collected by Francis I. Among these paintings was the canvas, to this day attracting millions of visitors to the Louvre Museum in Paris - "Mona Lisa".
The largest acquisition at the time of the opening of the museum is considered to be 200 paintings by the banker Everard Jabach from the collection of Louis XIV.
In the days of revolutionary France, the museum's collection was actively replenished with valuables confiscated from aristocrats. A large influx of exhibits was during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. The museum received many archaeological finds and war trophies from Egypt and the Middle East.
What attracts the palace today?
Contemporary in Paris is primarily a museum. More than 350 thousand outstanding works of art are presented here. An impressive number, isn't it? In order to linger in front of each of them for at least a couple of seconds, it will take more than 20 days.
The Louvre is the third largest art museum in the world. The area of exhibition halls is 60,000 m 2 . The entire exposition is located on four floors in three wings of the building: the Richelieu wing is located along Rivoli Street, the Denon wing stretches along the Seine, and the square courtyard surrounds the Sully wing.
In Paris, the Louvre is treated very reverently. Every Frenchman is proud of him. The palace is surrounded by national care, and any change in its life is actively discussed in society.
Doubtful architectural element
The Louvre Pyramid is considered the most unexpected building for the visitor on the territory of the complex. In Paris, and throughout France, for the third decade, disputes about its relevance and expediency have not subsided. Many disapproved of the Art Nouveau glass structure in the courtyard of a classical palace complex. The choice of such a project came as a shock to most French people. The public calmed down only after the pyramid gained immense popularity among tourists and began to bring tangible income to the city.
Why was the pyramid needed?
The beginning of the 80s of the twentieth century is a period of active building and renovation in Paris. The Louvre is no exception. A competition was announced for a rebuilding project, and to everyone's surprise, architect Yo Ming Pei won with his glass structure.
As conceived by the creator, the pyramid is designed to serve as the main entrance to the building, as it significantly increases the throughput. In addition, natural light enters the large hall through it, and under the “dome” there is a shopping and restaurant area.
The building not only helps to cope with a large crowd of people at the entrance, from it you can quickly get into any exhibition hall. The pyramid very quickly became one of the symbols of Paris along with the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.
The main places in the Louvre
Well, you have passed the pyramid and thought about the question of which direction to move on.
The exposition is so large that not everyone will be able to see it in its entirety. It is very easy to get lost inside the huge palace. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the plan of the museum in advance, develop and lay a route. It is quite difficult to choose places for a priority visit, because all the exhibits presented are the best of the best!
We list those halls that are definitely not to be missed:
Medieval Louvre.
Egyptian halls are huge, shrouded in the veil of time. You will not see such unique samples anywhere else.
Greek sculptures are the eternal breath of the classics.
Italian painting - from the era of the early objection to Titian and Raphael.
Dutch painting - Vermeer's masterpieces with unique optical effects must be seen with your own eyes.
Apartments of Napoleon III with a complete collection of furniture from that era.
And, of course, the portrait of Mona Lisa - if you say that you visited the Louvre in Paris and did not see Mona Lisa's smile, they will not understand you.
Entry prices
As in any other museum, you need to buy an entrance ticket before starting to view the exposition. The set price is quite democratic: only 12 euros for an adult visitor and 15 euros for a double ticket. If you remember how many outstanding works can be seen in the heart of the museum, the amount will seem quite insignificant.
As for children and youth, tourists under the age of 18 are free to enter.
Special benefits apply to young residents of the European Union. They are allowed free admission to the museum until they are 26 years old.
How to save money when visiting?
Every first Sunday of the month, the Louvre Museum in Paris opens its doors to its visitors for free. Most would say it's great to schedule a trip to the Louvre for the day! However, do not rush. The museum is already breaking all the attendance records. Before entering at any time you can see a rather big queue, and the most popular exhibits can only be seen from afar. It is easy to imagine how many visitors the museum collects on the days of free visits. Such a crowd of people can completely spoil the impression of viewing the exposition.
There is another good way to save money. Periodically, the museum provides a significant discount. All planned promotions are listed on the official website.
How to get to the Louvre without a queue?
A long queue in front of the entrance to the museum will please few people. Buying tickets can take a lot of time, and for a tourist who has come from afar, every minute counts.
How long you have to stand in front of the entrance depends primarily on the season. For example, in the summer (in season) you can spend several hours on this. Of course, a great role is played by a coincidence of circumstances and simple luck.
Here are some tips to help you visit the Louvre Museum in Paris without spending too much time:
To visit the Louvre, it is better to choose the morning hours - the queue will be shorter, there will be more time to view the exposition.
Starting from three o'clock in the afternoon, there are significantly fewer people who want to go inside.
The main entrance to the museum is organized through a glass pyramid in the courtyard; a large concentration of tourists is observed there. But it is not the only one available to visitors. The Louvre can be entered directly from Rue Rivoli and directly from the Musée du Louvre metro station.
The space under the dome can be accessed via a passage leading from the Tuileries Garden. The entrance is imperceptible, there is no big crowd there.
Where is the Louvre
In Paris, every passer-by will be able to tell you the address of the famous museum and the most convenient way to get there. But it is better to familiarize yourself with its location in advance so as not to waste precious time, especially if your level of French is far from perfect. So how do you get to the Louvre in Paris?
The address of the palace is Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris. It is located in the first arrondissement of Paris. You can get there by metro on the 1st or 7th line to the Palais-Royal / musée du Louvre station (by the way, you can get to the halls of the Louvre directly from the metro).
You can use the city bus, routes 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95. And incorrigible romantics will like the François Mitterrand embankment stop.
Working hours
To properly plan a visit, you need to know the opening hours of the museum. The Louvre opens its doors at 9 am every day except Tuesday (on this day the museum is closed). The working day ends at 18 pm on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. And on Wednesday and Friday it is extended until 21-45 (for the convenience of afternoon visitors).
Live at the Louvre
To visit the Louvre is great, but to live in the Louvre is great. For those who keep in their hearts the love of the majestic royal palace, it is worth paying attention to the Louvre Hotel in Paris. It is located in the very center of the city, in an old building built in the Ottoman style. The windows of the spacious rooms offer a marvelous view of the magnificent facade of the Louvre Museum building, the Opera Garnier and the famous Comédie Francaise. All interior spaces are decorated in classic French style. On the ground floor is the Brasserie du Louvre restaurant, famous for its amazing cuisine and truly Parisian atmosphere.
Staying at the hotel is very convenient. Just a few steps away are all the main attractions of the capital: Place de la Concorde, the Marais quarter, Notre Dame Cathedral.
Of course, where to stay - everyone chooses for himself, but perhaps it is in this hotel that you will have a prophetic dream, like Charles or Napoleon many centuries ago ...
The Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the most famous museums in the world. The Louvre Palace was built in the 13th century and served as the residence of kings. The Louvre was originally built as a fortress to protect Paris. Subsequently, it was rebuilt and completed by the kings who ascended the throne, until in 1793 it was turned into the largest museum in the world.
The building of the Louvre Museum is located on the banks of the River Seine in. The perimeter of the building is more than 1.5 kilometers; in general, the exhibition space is 60,385 square meters. The museum's collection contains about 370 thousand exhibits distributed among 8 departments. The building consists of three main buildings - "Richelieu", "Sully" and "Denon".
Wing "Richelieu" was added to the Louvre in 1993. Previously, it was occupied by the Ministry of Finance, then turned into an exhibition space according to the "Grand Louvre" project. This project was initiated by the President of France - Francois Mitterrand. The square building in the middle of the Louvre Palace wing "Sully". The courtyard in front of this wing was called the "Square Courtyard". Wing "Denon" It was named after the first director of the Louvre Museum, Denon. The three buildings are interconnected by an underground passage.
- Entrance to the museum. The Louvre Pyramid, thanks to its special design, spreads daylight throughout the vast central hall and foyer, and illuminates the entrances to the vast galleries. It was built in 1989. Under the pyramid of the Louvre is the lobby of the museum, where you can buy tickets. From here you can go in three different directions - in three different wings.
In front of the glass pyramid is located bronze statue of Louis XIV. Louis XIV was nicknamed the "Sun King". He established an absolute monarchy, under which he had unlimited power. Louis XIV admired the beauty of works of art and, with pleasure, collected paintings, sculptures and much more. All this is now represented in the Louvre collection. Before Louis XIV, the collection of the royal family had only 100 paintings, thanks to the "sun king" their number exceeded 3 thousand. It is worth considering that the king did not just collect works of art, he also supported French artists. If not for King Louis XIV, the Louvre Museum would not have become what it is now.
Passes under the Louvre stone wall- the wall of a medieval castle is about 70 meters long. It is located in the depths of the building and has the shape of a square. Why is there such a wall here, under the Louvre Museum? This wall was discovered 30 years ago - medieval buildings were found during excavations as part of the Great Louvre project. This fortress was built by King Philip II of France. It was built in 1190. The fortress was built in the 12th century to protect Paris from the British. Thus, the beginning of the history of the Louvre was connected with the war. The discovered fortress gives an idea of the medieval Louvre.
Saint Louis room The oldest building in the Louvre. This room was created during the construction of the fortress. This powerful fortress provided a thorough protection of its inhabitants, so the royal residence was located here.
In 1546, Francis I demolished the medieval building and began building a Renaissance palace. Only one room of that time has survived to this day - this is a large hall, which is called "Hall of the Caryatids". It is currently used for an exhibition of Greek sculpture. Caryatids are statues of women that serve as a support for the podium for musicians. The Tribune of the Caryatids was created by the French sculptor Jean Goujon in 1550 and decorates this room in a lavish renaissance style.
Louvre Museum - "Hall of the Caryatids"
Louvre Museum - "Hall of the Caryatids"
The room in the middle of the second floor of the Denon wing is the most new room in the Louvre, opened in April 2005. This exhibition hall of the Louvre Mona Lisa's room. It was built specifically for the famous painting and thanks to this, many people can see it at the same time. Painting "Mona Lisa" played a decisive role in the birth of the museum. Since this masterpiece was not easy to see in the past, its new location gave viewers the opportunity to enjoy it at their own pace. "Mona Lisa", written by Leonardo da Vinci, has a canvas size of about 76 centimeters in height and about 53 centimeters in width. This painting is said to be a portrait of a French merchant's wife. The word "mona" indicates that the woman was married. Her peaceful smile bewitches, her eyes seem to be alive. Painted 500 years ago, this painting is a true masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.
Louvre - Mona Lisa RoomLouvre - painting "Mona Lisa"
- the longest of the rooms of the museum. It was built under King Henry IV. At the end of the 16th century, Henry IV stopped religious conflicts and united France. Shortly after the king ascended the throne, he began a thorough restructuring of the Louvre. First, he connected two separate buildings with a corridor - this is the Grand Gallery of the Louvre.
— an exhibition hall on the third floor of the Sully wing. This room contains memories of the life of one woman. The Life of Marie Medici is a series of works by Rubens, a 17th-century artist. Twenty-four paintings, each of which is almost 4 meters high, lined up in a row. Those who enter this room are overwhelmed by the scope of this series of paintings. Maria Medici, the second wife of King Henry IV, is the main character in this room. But, and the king himself, of course, in the foreground.
Apollo Gallery- the most magnificent room in the Louvre. It is worth paying attention to the 8-meter square image on the ceiling of the gallery - it is called "Apollo defeats the serpent Python." Apollo (the Greek god of the sun), behind whom is a golden glow, is in the center of the picture. On this canvas, he defeats a giant serpent and demons from the depths of the earth. The room was finally completed 200 years after the order of Louis XIV to create it. Now this room is used for the exhibition of jewelry and works of art associated with the royal family.
After the painting department, the Louvre Museum is very proud of its department of arts and crafts. There are handmade items, including jewelry. The department of arts and crafts inherited a lot from the royal furnishings. That is why, a large number of art objects belonging to royal family are in the Louvre. It was under Louis XIV that all this luxurious furnishings appeared.
On the third floor of the Richelieu wing is Marly's yard. This is a pleasant place where the light comes through the glass ceiling and the marble statues and sculptures of the Louvre are displayed here. It was opened in 1993 together with the Richelieu wing. Here is the sculpture collection of Louis XIV, which was kept in his residence at the castle of Marly.
France, Louvre – video
The Louvre in Paris - opening hours, ticket prices
The Louvre can be visited on any day of the week except Tuesday (it is also closed on January 1st, May 1st and December 25th). The museum is open from 9:00 to 18:00, and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 21:45.
The cost of a ticket to visit the permanent collections is 12 euros, temporary exhibitions (in the Napoleon Hall) - 13 euros. Admission is free for visitors under the age of 18 and for visitors under the age of 25 who reside in one of the countries of the European Economic Area. Also, admission is free on July 14th (Bastille Day) and every first Sunday of the month.
The Louvre in Paris - how to get there
The best way to get to the Louvre is by metro. To do this, you need to get to the Palais Royal Musee du Louvre station (intersection of the 1st and 7th metro lines).
To get to the Louvre, you can also use city buses No. 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81 and 95. They will take you directly to the glass pyramid of the Louvre.
Louvre official website: http://www.louvre.fr
Louvre on the map, panorama
Louvre is a world famous museum, which the located in Paris in France. It should be noted that Paris is an amazing and romantic city. Tourists walking along the banks of the Seine enjoy the beautiful view of this city. On the right bank of the river rises the Louvre, which is considered one of the largest and most popular museums in the world.
The Louvre building is an ancient palace that has a rich and interesting story. The Louvre stores only unique and inimitable works of the most famous artists of all times and peoples.
Proposals to turn the Louvre into a museum began to appear in the 18th century. The project was born during the reign of Louis XV, but due to French Revolution he was suspended. After the end of the revolution, Napoleon I continued to work in the Louvre. In 1852, under Napoleon III, the construction of the Louvre was completed. And in May 1871, the Louvre building acquired a modern look. The famous glass pyramid in the center of the courtyard was built in 1989 by the talented contemporary architect Yo Ming Pei. The facade of the Louvre was built in the seventies of the last century.
The doors of the museum were first opened on August 10, 1793. Sometimes the Louvre Museum was called the "Napoleon Museum".
When was founded Louvre Museum in Paris, the royal collection consisted of two and a half thousand paintings. Also, the museum was replenished with new exhibits after confiscations, war trophies, some collectors bequeathed their collection to the Louvre. Sculptures of the Louvre varied and interesting, but the most famous of them are the sculptures of Venus de Milo, Nike of Samothrace. The Nike of Samothrace was found by Charles Champoiseau on the island of Samothrace. It was broken into pieces, but later the sculpture was still restored.
The Louvre has a large collection of paintings, so it is not surprising that Louvre artists from different countries and epochs. Of course, the main exhibit of the Louvre is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. A large number of people visit the Louvre every day just to see her beautiful and charming smile. "La Gioconda" is exhibited only here. The painting is no longer given to other exhibitions because of its poor condition.
The painting by Theodore Gericault "The Raft of the Medusa" is also considered the pearl of the museum. But in 1824, after Theodore's death, the Louvre did not have enough money to buy the painting, and it was acquired by good friend artist.
Art connoisseurs come to the Louvre to appreciate the paintings "The Death of Marat", "The Oath of the Horatii" and the canvas with the coronation of Napoleon. All these paintings were painted by the artist Jacques Louis David.
The Louvre exhibited a painting by Jean Ingres "Great Odalisque". The artist exaggerated the features of the models, so the odalisque is not depicted quite realistically. Her leg is twisted incorrectly, her arm is very long and she has three extra vertebrae. A picture was being painted for Caroline Murat, Napoleon's sister. But the customer did not accept it.
The museum also features paintings by Jan Vermeer. Examples of his works are "Astronaut", "Lacemaker". Since the Renaissance, great artists have used optics to create more realistic paintings. With the help of optical instruments, they could even make the foreground blur effect. A striking example of this technique is Vermeer's painting "The Lacemaker".
You can walk around the Louvre for hours and still not see most of the paintings. To visit Louvre Museum in Paris no need to look for reasons, just love and appreciate art.
The Louvre, however, as well as adjacent to it, are symbols of France and its capital. This is not only the most visited, but also the largest museum in the world. Despite the fact that only two lower floors are reserved for the museum, it is impossible to get around it in one day - it will take at least a week to see all the exhibits at a pace and without stopping.
A universal art museum - this is how the Louvre can be characterized. Here are collected paintings, sculptures, jewelry, the remains of ceramics, in a word, everything that is of value to descendants, that is, us, for many millennia before our birth.
Where is the Louvre
The Louvre is located in the first arrondissement of Paris, that is, in the very center. You can get into it from the street or from the metro station Louvre - Rivoli (1 line). on the map.
Opening hours of the Louvre
Tuesday is a day off. On other days from 9:00 to 18:00.
On Wednesday and Friday, the opening hours are extended until 21:45.
The Louvre is open on December 24 and January 31 from 9:00 to 17:00.
The Louvre is closed on these days: December 25, January 1, May 1.
Tickets to the Louvre
The ticket price is 15 euros. You can pay both in cash and by credit card.
Free admission to the Louvre is guaranteed (upon presentation of supporting documents):
- Persons under 18;
- Persons under 25 living in the EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein;
- Teachers of art, art history and applied arts;
- Artists - members of the French House of Artists, or members of the AIAP.
- ICOM or ICOMOS cardholders;
- Unemployed and receiving benefits within the last 6 months;
- People with disabilities and their companions;
From October to March, every first Sunday of the month, everyone has the opportunity to visit the Louvre for free!
Every Friday from 18:00 to 21:45 for persons under 26 years old - admission is free.
On Bastille Day, 14 July, admission is free.
Skip the line at the Louvre
There are several ways to get to the Louvre.
The first option is to stand in line at the main entrance at the Louvre pyramid.
The second way is to buy a ticket in advance and go to a separate entrance, which is located opposite the Pyramid (in the passage to the Palais Royal) towards Rivoli Street.
And, the third, fastest way is to purchase tickets at mall and follow the signs to get to the museum.
- (price: 35.00 €, 2 hours)
- (price: 170.00 €, 2 hours)
- (price: 20.00 €, 10 hours)
Walk around the Louvre
It is not surprising that all those who are not indifferent to history and art gather here. The average annual attendance is 10 million visitors! Since the expositions cover an area of about 60 thousand square meters (just think about it!) it is necessary to plan a visit in advance. It is necessary to determine an interesting area for yourself, get a floor map of the Louvre (they give it out for free at the entrance, you can), plan your every step and calculate the time spent at each exhibit so that you don’t see only a third of the entire section, because for a long time lingered at several exhibits. And, of course, come to terms with the fact that you will not be able to see the entire Louvre at once. Even if you set aside 10 hours, you will have less than a second to view each exhibit.
Louvre collection
Especially for you, we have described all the expositions.
Despite the fact that the walls of the Louvre respect the chronology and thematic series, there are some exceptions. For example, collections donated to the Louvre are exhibited in in full force, so some paintings will be scattered over several exposures.
Exposition of the Louvre
The real treasure trove, where thousands of priceless masterpieces are kept in countless galleries, is the Louvre in Paris. There are so many works of art that a whole day is not enough to see all the sights.
The richest collections of the Louvre, which include masterpieces of world art from different eras, will introduce visitors to the outstanding creations of many civilizations and cultures.
Ancient East - Antiquites orientales
Founded in 1881, this department contains the richest collection of monuments and objects made of gold, silver, bronze and clay, which are a reflection of culture ancient civilizations Middle East. All exhibits presented here were created different nations over several millennia BC. The oldest of them dates back to 6000 BC.
Paris prospered and grew, and almost two hundred years later, in 1356, an earthen rampart was built, far from the former border. The Louvre was no longer an important defensive structure. But the fortress surrounded by a moat with four-meter walls liked Charles V, who almost died during the uprising of Parisians, being in the less safe Concierge Palace.
In 1364, the architect Raymond du Temple began work on transforming the fortress into a residence for the king. Crenellated towers, outbuildings and separate utility buildings rebuilt into halls with huge windows, connected them with external stairs. In the Book Tower, Charles V the Wise arranged a library, which consisted of 900 volumes.
But the brief era of prosperity did not last long. Already Charles VI left the Louvre, and the fortress fell into a dream.
Woke up the Louvre and breathed into it new life Francis I. This monarch brought the Renaissance to France from his campaigns, he patronized Leonardo da Vinci. Is it any wonder that, on his instructions, the talented architect Pierre Lesko completely rebuilt the fortress, demolishing the Great Tower and erecting a Renaissance palace in its place.
At the same time, a good tradition was born: each subsequent French monarch would certainly make changes to the Louvre, completing it to his liking. From the time of Francis I to the present day, the Lescaut Wing between the Square Courtyard and the Napoleonic Courtyard has been preserved.
By the middle of the 16th century, the Louvre looked rather strange: heterogeneous buildings recent years side by side with dilapidated old buildings. Catherine the Bloody Medici, in her characteristic tough manner, demanded that the palace be completely rebuilt. And in 1564, the construction of the Tuileries began, almost half a kilometer to the west of the Louvre. By 1610, already under Henry IV, the Louvre and the Tuileries were connected by a grandiose building - the Great Gallery, the length of which is 442 meters.
During the reign of Louis XIII, Car Care was built, which became four times larger than the previous residence. And in 1624 the famous Clock Tower (Sully Pavilion) was erected. In the second half of the 17th century, two new wings appeared, which closed the huge courtyard of the Louvre.
The triumphal procession of the construction of the Louvre is crowned by the creation of the eastern facade designed by the brother of the famous storyteller Charles Perrault - Claude Perrault. The façade is a mature classicist colonnade and has since served as an ideal for the construction of buildings for public institutions worldwide.
Another era of oblivion awaited the Louvre during the reign of Louis XIV, who as a child survived the uprising of the Parisians and since then disliked Paris and the Louvre. Under this monarch, the court moved to Versailles, and all construction works in the former residence were suspended. For some time, Louis even nurtured the idea of demolishing the Louvre, but, fortunately, he was dissuaded.
The idea to turn the Louvre into a museum was born under Louis XV, but was realized only after the revolution. And in 1793 the doors of the Napoleon Museum were opened to visitors for the first time.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the museum's collection expanded incredibly due to war trophies. This was the beginning of the world-famous collections of archaeological finds from Egypt and the Middle East.
Construction work was resumed and ended in the middle of the 19th century. The courtyard of Napoleon was finally decorated, at the same time statues of people who glorified France appeared. Descartes, Rabelais, Voltaire, Richelieu, Abelard and other great thinkers and politicians were immortalized.
A new, modern stage in the transformation of the Louvre was started by François Mitterrand in 1989. It was marked by the appearance of an unusual glass pyramid, which was designed by the American architect of Chinese origin Yo Ming Pei. The debate over its appropriateness in the Louvre unfolded serious, no less than at one time about the Eiffel Tower. But one thing is certain: with its appearance, the number of visitors to the Louvre has doubled. Well, apparently, it’s true that you need to visit the Louvre yourself, including in order to form your own opinion about the Pei pyramid.
The Louvre is an eternally young, living palace-museum. The tradition of constantly completing it and making changes that keep pace with the times has been preserved by the French to this day. At the same time, the atmosphere of past centuries is carefully preserved, and due to the museum collections of antiquity, a feeling is created that the Louvre is the keeper of not only French, but also the entire world history. And, of course, you want to walk through its courtyards at least once, go through a glass pyramid, wander through medieval cellars, enjoy the tickling feeling caused by touching the secrets of antiquity, be subdued by the magnificent splendor of the Renaissance and pay tribute to the strict and majestic lines of the Classicism era - in the Louvre everyone will find that piece of history that will be close to him.
How to get there
Address: 99, rue de Rivoli, Paris 75058Telephone: +33 1 40 20 50 50
Website: louvre.fr
Underground: Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre
Working hours: 9:00-18:00
