The Louvre

Imagine a city divided into two parts by a stunning palace built for kings, with a view of the Seine River to add to the beauty. The city would be Paris and the building, the Louvre.

Home to Royalty
A famous museum the world over, the Louvre was once the home of royalty. It started out as a fortress for King Philippe Auguste. He never really lived there using it as more of a storage place for some of his treasures and armor. That fortress is the base on which the rest of the buildings rest. Charles the V was the first king to make the Louvre his home. You can still see the outline of his palace traced on the pavement there.

It wasn’t until 1546 that the Louvre that we know today began. Henri II, Charles IX and Catherine de Médicis all played a part in the growth and expansion of the Louvre. Henri II had the old fortress torn down and built two wings which still exist today. Future kings and queens would add to the glory, size and splendor of the palaces and buildings. The results were magnificent.

The history alone that you will find inside would make the Louvre a place worth spending hours and hours just wondering the halls and walking in the path of royalty. Seeing where kings and queens slept, ate, and ruled their world and experiencing what that world was like in medieval days.

The Beginnings of a Museum
The Louvre can trace its beginnings as an art museum back to Francois I. During his reign Leonardo Da Vinci would bring his magnificent works of art, including the world famous Mona Lisa, to the palace. It was opened as an art gallery on 1793.

Its collection grew in size during Napoleon's reign as he brought home wagonloads of spoils of war. Many still remain their today.

Visit Ancient Civiliztions
The galleries there today are full of art and exhibits that are exquisite. There is the Oriental Antiquities Gallery where you can see treasures from the Far East. You can see centuries old sculptures; stone carved writings and other artifacts from Ancient Civilizations. See the two giant winged bulls that once stood guard over the palace of Sargon II and the Code of Hammurabi , which gave us the first example of law. Antiquities from Mesopotamia, Sumeria, Babylon, Assyria and many other now extinct cultures add to the splendor.

Explore the Egyptian Antiquities Gallery and enter the world of the Pharaohs and Cleopatra. Take a tour through everyday life in ancient Egypt by way of displays that show jewelry, cooking utensils, mummified cats and amazing sculptures.

Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiquities Galleries allow you to glimpse places that are no more. This area of display draws the most visitors next to the Mona Lisa. Walk through authentic rooms that the Greeks and Romans would have lived, worked and played in on a typical day. Fantastic bronzes give us a glimpse of their artistic abilities and the Venus de Milo enchants visitors as much today as it did when it was created..

The Richelieu wing is laden down with outstanding pieces of French art. Magnificent French sculpture, chronology of French painting and a section devoted to everything French that is not a sculpture or painting.

More Than Just Paintings
Then there is the Sculpture Gallery, Prints and Drawings Gallery, the Objets D’Arts gallery and the Paintings Gallery. You will not want to miss the Michaelangelo Courtyard found in the Sculpture Gallery or the Middle Ages collections in the other galleries. Works of art of all kinds that will take your breath away as you stand in awe at the age and beauty before you. The sheer magnitude of the talent involved is amazing.

A Medieval Fortress
Tour the Medieval Louvre for the close up look at the original parts of the Lourve. The dungeons, moats and underground sections allow you to see that section of the Louvre that started the whole thing, King Philip’s fortress. The keep rises high above the rest and you can still see some of Charles V palace walls along the edge of the huge chamber.

Whispers of the Past
The different wings and additions to the palace are stunning works of architecture. Although royalty no longer walks the halls of this magnificent palace as you go from room to room you can almost hear the whisper of silk ball gowns and the voices of kings deciding the fates of nations.

All of these things make the Louvre an amazing place to visit and should be number one on your list of things to see and do while in Paris, France.