The Louvre Palace
Located in the heart of Paris is the Louvre palace which houses the national Museum of France we all know as the Louvre. The palace started out as a fortress that was built by Louis XIV who instead chose to reside in the Palace of Versailles thus leaving the Louvre Palace to house the many Royal Collections that include sculptures form some of Europe’s greatest artists till the French Revolution when it was designated as a museum for all of France’s national treasures. The palace has been extended many times over to accommodate the growing collections secured within it’s walls, it first opened its walls as a museum in 1793 but was closed a few years later due to structural concerns of the palace. When it re-opened in 1801, the collection was greatly increased during the time of Napoleon who aptly renamed it the “Musee Napoleon” and the collection grew to it’s current strength of eight curatorial departments namely; Egyptian, Near Eastern, Greek Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculptures, decorative arts, paintings, prints and Drawings. All of which coming form all corners of the world showcasing a menagerie of talent and genius the world should see.
The Museum has a part of it’s medieval structure left intact to show it’s past and heritage giving way to the modern exhibit halls that shows off works of great masters such as Leonardo, Michelangelo and more. Featured in many films as the famed The DaVinci Code and many more, the Louvre continues to play it’s part in mystery and beauty as it shows us the beauty that has been produced by some of the most brilliant minds of all time.