The Louvre Museum : the most beautiful museum in the world !

The Louvre museum with pyramid, Paris by night - ©istock

The Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most visited museums in the world, located in the Palais du Louvre, which was originally a medieval fortress in the late 12th century. Gradually, the monument was expanded, transformed, and renovated several times, becoming the architectural complex that we know today.

In the early 14th century, Charles V transformed the Louvre fortress into a royal residence. The kings of France lived there until Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles, which became his main residence. During the French Revolution, the Palais du Louvre was transformed into a public museum to exhibit goods confiscated from the nobility and the clergy. Later, Napoleon occupied it.

The Louvre Museum, officially inaugurated in 1793 under the name of the Central Museum of Arts, had around 5,000 works of art at that time. In the following years, the museum continued to grow thanks to the acquisition of new collections and donations from private collectors.

In the 19th century, the museum was expanded again to accommodate the constantly growing collections. The architect Hector Lefuel designed the north facade of the museum, now the main entrance. In the 1850s, the museum acquired the famous collection of Queen Hortense de Beauharnais, further enriching the collections of French and Italian paintings.

In the early 20th century, the Parisian museum underwent a new phase of expansion. The Marsan Pavilion was built to house the collections of decorative arts, while the renovated Flore Pavilion was used to display Egyptian antiquities, giving a new dimension to the historical ensemble. During World War II, many works of art were removed and hidden to protect them from the Nazis and potential bombings.

Since the end of the war, the cultural temple has continued to expand and modernize. In 1989, the famous Louvre Pyramid, designed by architect Ieoh Ming Pei, was inaugurated as the new main entrance. This pyramid sparked controversy at the time, but is now considered an icon of modern architecture.

The Louvre Museum is now one of the most popular museums in the world, with approximately 10 million visitors each year. It houses a vast collection of works of art, ranging from antiquity to the 19th century. Visitors can admire famous works such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo, as well as thousands of other paintings, sculptures, and objects.