Fun facts about the louvre museum

What was the louvre before it was a museum
Who built the louvre museum
Where is the louvre museum located

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Museum December 21, 2023 Peggy Carouthers

With the recent news that the Louvre, one of the biggest and most famous museums in the world, is hiking its entrance fee in 2024, we are taking a closer look at its history. A treasure of the art world, the Louvre houses works that celebrate nearly two millennia of human culture and history. Yet for all its fame, the museum also has a long and remarkable history.

Here are eleven of the most surprising facts about the history of the Louvre.

1. The Louvre was Once a Fortress and Royal Residence
Though it’s now known for its renowned art collection, the Louvre began its life as a fortress in the 12th century designed to protect what was then the western edge of Paris. Built by Philip II, the medieval fortress featured a 98-foot tall keep and a moat. It was used to defend the city until Paris grew and other defensive structures were built on the new outskirts of the city in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, however, Francis I demolished the original fortress and rebuilt the Louvre as a Renaissance-styl

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Explore the Grand Louvre Palace and 800 years of its history

Louvre Museum today

The Louvre Museum holds immense cultural significance as a symbol of art, history, and national identity. As the world's largest art museum, it houses an unparalleled collection that spans over 9,000 years of human creativity, offering visitors access to the most iconic artworks from different cultures and civilizations. The museum's significance extends beyond its vast collection; it represents a culmination of Western and Eastern art, philosophy, and culture, making it a key institution for understanding the evolution of global art history. It’s home to some of the most revered masterpieces, such as The Mona Lisa, The Venus de Milo, and Liberty Leading the People, each embodying milestones in artistic development and cultural movements.

The Louvre's rich history also adds to its cultural importance. Originally built as a fortress in the 12th century, it evolved into a royal palace before becoming a public museum during the French Revolution in 1793. Its architecture, inclu

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Louvre

Art museum in Paris, France

This article is about the museum. For the building, see Louvre Palace. For other uses, see Louvre (disambiguation).

The Louvre (LOOV(-rə)),^[4] or the Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre[myzedyluvʁ]^ⓘ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district or ward) and home to some of the most canonical works of Western art, including the Mona Lisa,Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. Remnants of the Medieval Louvre fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to urban expansion, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function, and in 1546 Francis I converted it into the primary residence of the French kings.^[5]

The building was redesigned and extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versai