The Louvre, Paris

The Louvre is a delightful building, holding treasures of paintings, sculptures and amazing furniture that speak of the tastes of the rulers who owned them. The Louvre is the largest museum in the art world, a historic monument to one of Europe's dream capitals, Paris, and home to Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa.  Its proximity to the iconic River Seine and the Tuileries Gardens, created by Catherine de Medici in 1564, make the Louvre one of Paris' most desirable attractions.

The old Louvre occupies the site of a 12th-century fortress built by King Philip Augustus to defend against Viking raids. Its foundations are visible in the museum's basement as the Medieval Louvre department. In the reign of Charles V, the castle-fortress became a royal palace, and in the following centuries it was occasionally used by the kings of France as their main residence. Later, François I destroyed the castle and created gardens in its place. A little later, a modern palace was built on the foundations of the fortress.

In 1678, the Sun King built the Palace of Versailles and left the Louvre as a place to display the royal collection of paintings and sculptures.The Grand Gallery of the Louvre was built under Henri IV and is 1 mile long and 30 metres wide. In addition, King Henri began the tradition of inviting renowned artists and craftsmen to work in the palace, putting their talents into creating masterpieces that would astonish generations.The 173-metre-high façade of the palace was built in the second half of the 17th century on the idea of Claude Perrault. In addition to the royal collection, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures appeared at the Louvre Palace. In 1692, the palace building was occupied by the Academy of Sciences and the Royal Academy of Arts for the next 100 years.

During the French Revolution, it was decided to turn the Louvre Palace into a museum displaying the nation's masterpieces. The museum was inaugurated on August 10, 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings as the works of art increased under Napoleon. But after his abdication many of the valuable exhibits have disappeared.

The rise of the Louvre did not occur until the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum increased its collection by 20,000 works of art. Many French rich men donated or bequeathed their collections, such as the Rothschild family. Their collection was given to the Louvre in 1935 and fills a private room containing 40 thousand prints, 3 thousand paintings and 500 illustrated books.

The present structure of the Louvre has grown and expanded over the centuries until it has reached its present phenomenal proportions. The magnificent complex occupies an area of 40 hectares and forms two main quadrangles enclosing two large parts: the Square and the Napoleon.  The Square is one of the main parts of the Louvre, completed under Napoleon I, while the Napoleonic part was built under Napoleon III and is the larger of the two, separated by the huge Place du Carousel public square.

The Louvre's astonishing art collections are divided into 8 curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculptures; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

The impression from the outside of the Louvre is mesmerizing and one awaits with bated breath entering the museum like a temple. The staircases in the foyers, the sculptures, the ceilings, the halls- everything is a wonderful magic. Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is in a separate room with protected glass. Paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Poussin and many other famous artists can be seen in the museum.Among the famous sculptures in the Louvre are the Venus de Milo and Nike of Samothrace.The Venus de Milo is one of the most famous sculptures of ancient Greek art, discovered among the ruins of the ancient city of Milos on the island of the same name in the White Sea in 1820.

Made of translucent Paros marble 203 cm high in 130-90 BC, the statue depicts the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, and although it is without arms, it is perfect. The statue of Nike was found on the island of Samothrace and depicts the goddess of victory Nike.Made of Parian marble, the statue shows the extraordinary skill of the unknown sculptor, especially in the sculpting of the drapery of the garment. The head and arms of the statue of Nike are missing, and although some fragments were discovered by the French consul and amateur archaeologist Charles Champoiseau, they are kept separately in the museum's repository.

The great collection of furniture in the Louvre deserves special attention, some of the most magnificent being those rooms which Napoleon III furnished to his taste.

In 1983, a glass pyramid was built at the Main Entrance to facilitate the flow of tourists, the idea of French President François Mitterrand and architect I.M Pei.

There is so much more to see at the Louvre that one has to choose what to see in advance.The museum is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm except Tuesdays, and it is advisable to buy tickets online to avoid waiting in long queues.

Visiting the Louvre is a wonderful challenge and experience!