The museum of Louvre is the largest Parisian museum by its surface. Located in the middle of the town of Paris, between right bank of the Seine and the street of Rivoli, in I er district, the building is an old royal palate. The equestrian statue of Louis XIV constitutes the starting point of the historical axis, but the palate is not aligned on this axis. It is one of the oldest museums and the larger third in the world in term of surface. Louvre has a long history of artistic and historical conservation of France, since the kings capétiens until our days.

The first Louvre was a fortress built at the beginning of the 13th century by Philip II Augustus to defend the Seine below Paris against the Normans and English. It consisted of a thick cylindrical donjon (dungeon) surrounded by towered walls. This château, enlarged and embellished by Charles V in the 14th century, was sacrificed in the 16th century at the end of the reign of Francis I in order to make room for a new Renaissance structure of the same size.

In 1793, during the Revolution, the first state museum was opened in the Louvre, consisting of the former royal collections of painting and sculpture. It was enriched temporarily by loot from the Napoleonic wars and then permanently by purchases and gifts, including archaeological finds. More and more specialized divisions were created.

Admission: 7.50€ adults; 5.00€ after 3pm and all day Sunday,
free the first Sunday of the month and for children 17 and under.
Hours: Mon. (certain rooms only) and Wed. 9am - 9:45 pm; Thurs.-Sun. 9am - 6 pm.
Museum is closed on Jan. 1, May 1, Nov. 11 and Dec. 25.