Louvre Paris opening hours. Louvre: history and collections. How did the name of the fortress come about, which first became the residence of kings, and then a museum?
The Louvre is one of the largest art museums in the world. The construction of the current Louvre building lasted almost a millennium and is inseparable from the history of the city of Paris itself.
The Louvre building is an ancient royal palace. An equestrian statue of Louis XIV marks the beginning of the so-called historical axis of Paris, but the palace is not aligned with it.
If the theater begins with a coat rack, then the Louvre begins with a glass pyramid. More precisely, there are two pyramids here: large and small. Both were built by Chinese-American architect Yeo Ming Pei during the reconstruction of the Louvre in 1981 and serve as entrance decorations to what is perhaps the most magnificent museum in the world. To get to the Louvre, we go into a large pyramid, go down the escalator and find ourselves in a huge hall, the roof of which, in fact, is a glass pyramid. There are ticket offices and an information desk where you can get a free plan of the Louvre, presented in all major languages.
On the “zero” floor there is a museum of the history of the Louvre itself, here you can see fragments of old walls. The Louvre dates back to the 13th century, when Philip Augustus built a powerful fortress on this site, where the royal treasury and archives were kept. In the 14th century, Charles V the Wise turned the fortress into his residence and ordered the construction of a library, for which he received his nickname. Unfortunately, the library has not survived to this day. Subsequently, the Louvre was rebuilt and expanded several times, until in 1682 the royal residence was moved to Versailles. Work on the construction of the Louvre continued under Napoleon I and, finally, the Louvre acquired its modern appearance in 1871 under Napoleon III. The beginning of the museum exhibition of the Louvre in the 16th century was laid by King Francis I, who began collecting a collection of works of art. It was significantly replenished under Louis XIII and XIV. In 1793, the gallery was opened to the public and became a museum. Since then, the collection has expanded greatly, especially during the reign of Napoleon I, who demanded tribute in the form of works of art from all conquered nations.
The Louvre is based on a castle-fortress built by King Philip Augustus in 1190. One of the main purposes of the castle was to monitor the lower reaches of the Seine, one of the traditional routes of invasion and raids of the Viking Age. In 1317, after the transfer of Templar property to the Order of Malta, the royal treasury was transferred to the Louvre. Charles V turns the castle into a royal residence.
The obsolete Great Tower of the Louvre was destroyed by order of Francis I in 1528, and in 1546 the transformation of the fortress into a magnificent royal residence began. These works were carried out by Pierre Lescaut and continued during the reigns of Henry II and Charles IX. Two new wings were added to the building. In 1594, Henry IV decides to connect the Louvre with the Tuileries Palace, built at the request of Catherine de Medici. The square courtyard of the palace was created by the architects Lemercier and then Louis Leveau during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, he enlarged the palace four times. The design and decoration of the palace was then supervised by such artists as Poussin, Romanelli and Lebrun. In 1667-1670 The architect Claude Perrault built the Louvre Colonnade on the eastern façade of the palace facing Louvre Square.
In 1682, work was abruptly stopped when Louis XIV chose Versailles as his new royal residence. remains unattended for a long time: the palace fell into such a state of disrepair that in 1750 they decided to demolish it. We can say that the Louvre was saved by Parisian merchants, who on October 6, 1789 staged a march to Versailles, demanding the return of the royal family to Paris. It was only in the 18th century that new projects were developed at the Louvre. One of these undertakings was the transformation of the Louvre into a museum. The project was born during the reign of Louis XV and ended with the French Revolution.
After the turbulent revolutionary years, work at the Louvre was continued by Napoleon I. His architects Percier and Fontaine began the construction of the northern wing along the Rue de Rivoli. This wing was completed in 1852 under Napoleon III, and the Louvre was completed. After the fire and destruction of the Tuileries during the siege of the Paris Commune in May 1871, the Louvre acquired its modern appearance. In 1989, a glass pyramid was erected in the center of the Napoleonic courtyard.
The museum's doors were first opened to the public on November 8, 1793, during the French Revolution.
At the beginning of its existence, the Louvre replenished its funds from the royal collections collected at one time by Francis I and Louis XIV. At the time of the museum’s founding, the royal collection consisted of exactly 2,500 paintings.
Gradually, the most valuable paintings from the royal collection were transferred to the museum's collection. A huge number of sculptures came from the Museum of French Sculpture and after numerous confiscations of property during the revolution.
During the Napoleonic wars, at the instigation of the first director of the museum, Baron Denon, the Louvre collection was replenished with military trophies, and at the same time the museum received archaeological finds from Egypt and the Middle East.
Everything was collected in the Louvre; this museum can be called universal. His collections cover vast geographical and temporal spaces: from Western Europe to Iran through Greece, Egypt and the Middle East; from antiquity to 1848. Currently, the museum's catalog contains more than 400 thousand exhibits. European art of the most recent period - from 1848 to the present day - is presented at the Orsay Museum and the Georges Pompidou Center, while Asian art is exhibited at the Guimet Museum. The art of Africa, America and Oceania is exhibited at the Quai Branly Museum.
Among the most popular exhibits of the Louvre is the painting of Mona Lisa (portrait of Mona Lisa) by Leonardo da Vinci, and his other paintings, paintings by Rembrandt, Titian, the code of laws of Hammurabi, as well as ancient sculptures: Venus de Milo and Nike of Somothrace. So that tourists do not accidentally miss these masterpieces, signs with their images are hung everywhere on the walls. Sometimes it seems that a significant part of tourists only follow these signs, not paying attention to the rest of the masterpieces collected in the Louvre. But in vain, since the works of almost all famous masters are presented here. The only thing missing here is time. You can wander through the halls of the Louvre endlessly, each time discovering something new.
- (Louvre), in Paris, originally a royal palace; erected on the site of an old castle in the 16th and 19th centuries. (architects P. Lesko, C. Perrault and others), since 1791 an art museum; the richest collection of ancient Egyptian, ancient, Western European... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Louvre- (French Louvre). The old royal palace in Paris, built in 1204, is now occupied by artistic and various other rarities. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. Louvre ancient royal palace... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Louvre- in Paris, originally a royal palace; erected on the site of the castle in the 16th - 19th centuries. (architects P. Lesko, C. Perrault and others), since 1791 an art museum; the richest collection of ancient Egyptian, ancient, Western European art... Modern encyclopedia
Louvre- (Louvre) in Paris, an architectural monument and museum, one of the architectural dominants of the historical center of the city. Originally a royal palace on the site of a castle from the early 3rd to 4th centuries. (1546 XIX century, architects P. Lesko, L. Levo, C. Perrault and others;... ... Art encyclopedia
Louvre- noun, number of synonyms: 1 museum (22) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary
Louvre- the most remarkable of Parisian public buildings, both for its enormity and architecture, and for the precious collections it contains. The name of this building comes from the Wolf Forest (Luparia, Louverie) that was once located here, in... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Louvre- employee time sheet... Dictionary of abbreviations and abbreviations
Louvre- (Louvre) architectural monument in Paris; originally a royal palace, then an art museum, one of the world's greatest art repositories. It was built on the site of a castle in the early 13th and 14th centuries. In 1546 74 P. Lesko erected a palace in the form of... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Louvre- (Louvre) former French palace. kings, since 1793 arts. museum, one of the greatest arts. repositories of the world. Name L. probably comes from Late Lat. lupara gathering places for wolf hunters. Built on the site of a building erected in the 13th century. queens... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia
Books
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The Louvre, as well as the one adjacent to it, are symbols of France and its capital. It is not only the most visited, but also the largest museum in the world. Despite the fact that only the lower two floors are reserved for the museum, it is impossible to get around it in one day - it will take at least a week to view all the exhibits at a pace and without stopping.
A universal art museum - this is how the Louvre can be described. Here are collected paintings, sculptures, jewelry, remains of ceramics, in a word, everything that is of value to our descendants, that is, us, for many millennia before our birth.
Where is the Louvre
The Louvre is located in the first arrondissement of Paris, that is, in the very center. You can get into it from the street or from the Louvre - Rivoli metro station (line 1). on the map.
Louvre opening hours
Tuesday is a day off. On other days from 9:00 to 18:00.
On Wednesday and Friday, opening hours are extended until 21:45.
The Louvre is open on December 24 and January 31 from 9:00 to 17:00.
The Louvre is closed on these days: December 25, January 1, May 1.
Tickets to the Louvre
The ticket price is 15 euros. You can pay either in cash or by credit card.
Free entry to the Louvre is guaranteed (upon presentation of supporting documents):
- Persons under 18 years of age;
- Persons under 25 years of age living in the EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein;
- Teachers of art, art history and applied arts;
- Artists - members of the French House of Artists, or members of AIAP.
- Holders of ICOM or ICOMOS cards;
- Unemployed and receiving benefits for the last 6 months;
- People with disabilities and their accompanying persons;
From October to March, every first Sunday of the month everyone has the opportunity to visit the Louvre for free!
Every Friday from 18:00 to 21:45, persons under 26 years old have free admission.
On Bastille Day - July 14 - admission is free.
Skip the line to the Louvre
There are several ways to get to the Louvre.
The first option is to stand in line at the main entrance at the Louvre pyramid.
The second way is to buy a ticket in advance and head to the separate entrance, which is located opposite the Pyramid (in the passage to the Palais Royal) towards the Rue de Rivoli.
And, the third, fastest way is to purchase tickets at the shopping center and follow the signs to the museum.
- (price: 20.00 €, 2 hours)
- (price: 170.00 €, 2 hours)
- (price: 27.00 €, 10 hours)
Walk through the Louvre
It is not surprising that all those who are not indifferent to history and art gather here. Average annual attendance is 10 million visitors! Since the exhibitions cover an area of about 60 thousand square meters (just think!), you need to plan your visit in advance. You need to determine an interesting area for yourself, get a floor map of the Louvre (they give it to you for free at the entrance, you can also), plan your every step and calculate the time you will spend at each exhibit, so that it doesn’t turn out that you only saw a third of the entire section, because for a long time We stopped at several exhibits. And, of course, accept the fact that you won’t be able to see the entire Louvre in one go. Even if you set aside 10 hours, you'll have less than a second to view each exhibit.
Louvre Collection
We have described all the exhibitions especially for you.
Despite the fact that chronology and thematic sequence are observed within the walls of the Louvre, there are some exceptions. For example, collections donated to the Louvre are exhibited in their entirety, so some paintings will be scattered across several exhibitions.
Louvre exposition
A real treasury, where thousands of priceless masterpieces are stored in countless galleries, is the Louvre in Paris. There are so many works of art that a whole day is not enough to see all the sights.
The Louvre's rich collections, which include masterpieces of world art from different eras, will introduce visitors to outstanding creations of many civilizations and cultures.
Ancient East – Antiquites orientales
Established in 1881, this department houses a rich collection of monuments and objects made of gold, silver, bronze and clay, which are a reflection of the culture of the most ancient civilizations of the Middle East. All the exhibits presented here were created by different peoples over several millennia BC. The oldest of them dates back to 6,000 BC.
The collection covers three geographical regions:
- Mesopotamia (kingdoms of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria)
- Iran (Susa, Iranian plateau, territories along the eastern border of Iran)
- Levant (Syrian-Palestinian coast, Cyprus)
The first exhibits of this collection appeared in the Louvre in 1847 on the initiative of consul Paul Emil Bot, who, during a research expedition, found ancient monuments from the royal palace of Sargon II in the capital of Assyria, Khorsabad.
Evidence of the cultural traditions of Mesopotamia includes the first writings found during archaeological excavations, which contain descriptions of religion, socio-political life and wars of that period. They are unique examples of ancient Eastern cuneiform writing, where pictograms were used instead of letters. The Stele of the Vultures, dedicated to the victory of the Sumerian king Eannatum, the Stele of Naramein, the king of Akkad, and the 2.25-meter-high Stele of Hammurabi, on which the code of laws of Ancient Babylon is inscribed, became world famous. An amazing piece of fine art is a relief with the appearance of the legendary hero Gilgamesh with a lion.
The culture of Ancient Iran is mainly represented by palace monuments, such as a marble column capital depicting bulls 6 meters high, found in Susa, the capital of the Persian kingdom, or a part of the wall covered with a colorful mosaic in the form of a painting depicting archers from the guard of the Persian king Darius I.
Ancient Egypt – Antiquites égyptiennes
By order of the monarch Charles X, the Department of Ancient Egypt was formed in 1826. It was headed by Jean-François Champollion, the famous Egyptologist who revealed the secret of hieroglyphs. The collection is based on finds obtained during Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798. Subsequently, the collection was replenished with artifacts purchased from famous collectors Durand, Salt and Drovetti. The Frenchman Auguste Mariette, founder of the archaeological museum in Cairo, made his invaluable contribution.
The collection of Ancient Egypt in the Louvre is considered the most valuable in the world, numbering more than 50 thousand exhibits housed in 20 halls. Unique artifacts of a powerful civilization are exhibited here, the peoples of which lived along the banks of the Nile from the 4th millennium BC to the 4th century AD. The collection includes various objects of art, papyrus scrolls, sarcophagi, household and musical instruments, weapons, clothing, and jewelry.
This section reflects all stages of the cultural development of Ancient Egypt:
- Civilization of the Pharaohs
- Religion
- Ancient, Middle and New Kingdom
- Late period
- Roman period
- Coptic art
One of the oldest objects is a flint knife from Jebel al-Arak with a handle decorated with graphics in the form of human figures. Examples of ancient Egyptian painting include the famous portraits “An Official from Memphis and His Wife”, “Village Headman”, “Sitting Scribe”.
The New Kingdom period features the most extensive collection of artifacts, including limestone statues of the goddess Nephthys and the goddess Hathor, or triumphal steles celebrating the victories of Egyptian pharaohs such as Thutmose III.
Ancient Greece, Rome and the Etruscans - Antiquités grecques, étrusques et romaines
Previously, this department was known as the Museum of Antiquity, opened in 1800. At that time, the collection of archaeological finds was located in the Louvre in the chambers of Anne of Austria. The collection was based on antique monuments acquired by French monarchs in the 16th-17th centuries. It was gradually replenished during Napoleon's military campaigns in neighboring countries and due to various archaeological expeditions. Some of the exhibits were purchased from private collections of collectors and funds of the National Library.
The works presented here cover a broad period of development of Greek, Roman and Etruscan civilizations from the 4th millennium BC to the 6th century AD.
The entire collection consists of several sections:
- The Birth of Greek Art (3200 – 720 BC)
- Archaic Greek art (7th-6th centuries BC)
- Classical Greek art (5th-4th centuries BC)
- Hellenistic art (3rd-1st centuries BC)
- Etruscan art (XI-I centuries BC)
- Roman art (late Republic – 6th century AD)
The Antiquities Department of the Louvre houses a large collection of authentic Greek monuments from the Aeginetan era, such as Cycladic idols.
The archaic period is also represented by an equally large number of exhibits. Among the sculptures of this period we can highlight Hera of Samos and Apollo from Piombino. Greek statues are displayed taking into account the chronology of their creation. Along with the originals, exact copies of some art objects are presented here.
Classical Greek art is characterized by such outstanding works as a fragment of the Parthenon frieze and two metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
The Hellenistic era was marked by the appearance of unique masterpieces, the most famous of them being the Venus de Milo and the Nike of Samothrace.
The culture of the Etruscans inhabiting the Apennine Peninsula is represented by amazing works: vases, sarcophagi, paintings and precious jewelry.
The ancient Roman collection consists mainly of mosaics, statues, gold, silver and bronze objects. Of particular value is a fragment of the Altar of Peace, as well as Roman portraits - the highest achievement in the fine arts of that period.
Painting – Peintures
The painting department is the largest exhibition of the Louvre. It occupies most of this museum complex, located on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The initial collection was part of the painting gallery of Francis I at Fontainebleau, which was greatly enlarged by Louis XIV. After the overthrow of the monarchy, the collection was replenished by confiscated church property and collections of emigrants, as well as as a result of wars of conquest in Europe. The Louvre's art department was opened in 1794. The works transferred to the museum were divided according to their belonging to different schools of painting.
The Louvre's collection of fine art includes about 6 thousand works created by European masters from the 13th century to 1848. A wide variety of paintings are collected here, differing in format, technique and style of execution. A third of all paintings belong to the brushes of French artists, and more than 1,200 works belong to the Northern European art school.
The Renaissance is represented by the works of many famous French masters, including portrait painters Jean Fouquet and François Clouet. French painting of the 17th century is marked by paintings by classicists Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, court painters of Louis XIV Charles Lebrun, Pierre Mignard and Hyacinthe Rigaud. Among the works of the 19th century, the works of Jacques-Louis David, Eugene Delacroix and Theodore Géricault deserve special attention.
The painting department presents a wonderful collection of Italian fine art, which is famous for such masters as Giotto Cimabue, Raphael, Titian, Mantegni, Correggio and others. Its most valuable part is 5 paintings by the great artist Leonardo da Vinci.
Among the works of Spanish artists, paintings by Murillo and portraits created by Francisco Goya are impressive.
Decorative and applied arts – Objets d’art
This department of the Louvre was founded in 1893. The exhibits on display came here from different parts of France: from churches and imperial palaces (Basilica of Saint-Denis, Tuileries, Saint-Cloud), from a special repository of state treasures and private museums of famous collectors.
The exhibition covers several periods:
- Early Middle Ages
- Middle Ages
- Renaissance era
- 17th century
- Rococo style in the 18th century
- The transition from neoclassicism to restoration.
The magnificent collection of decorative and applied arts includes samples of tapestries, luxurious pieces of furniture and interior decoration, ceramics, and jewelry. It also houses numerous sculptural works, including the famous equestrian statue of Charlemagne.
In this department, the total number of exhibition halls is 81. Some of them are decorated in the style of a historical interior, which reflects the lifestyle of famous French figures and important events associated with them, for example, the Napoleon III Museum.
The halls dedicated to the Middle Ages display attributes of the power of the French monarchy, ivory items, Limoges enamel, and vases. Among the remarkable works of art of the Renaissance, Giambologna's bronze sculpture "Nessus and Deianira" and the tapestry "The Hunt of Maximilian" are of particular interest. Valuable exhibits from later periods include Madame de Pompadour's collection of Sevres vases.
The Apollo Gallery displays jewelry including royal crowns, swords, rings and various cult objects set with precious stones.
Sculpture
The collection of sculptural art objects in the Louvre began to form in 1817. The first exhibits were transferred here from the Museum of French Monuments, where many significant works seized from churches and empty mansions of emigrants after the revolution were kept. Subsequently, the Louvre collection was replenished with sculptures from Fontainebleau, Versailles, Saint-Cloud and other royal residences.
This department presents works created before 1850. According to the organizers of the exhibition, it is divided into two exhibition spaces - the French collection and foreign sculptures.
- France: Middle Ages – 19th century
- Italy: VI – XIX centuries
- Central Europe and Northern European countries
Among the predominant number of French sculptural works, the reliefs of the Fountain of the Nymphs and the Fountain of the Innocents, made by the best master of the Renaissance, Jean Goujon, deserve special attention. No less fascinating is the sculptural composition of Germain Pilon in the form of three female figures carrying on their heads an urn with the ashes of King Henry II. Outstanding works are represented by all the famous sculptors of France from the 17th to the 19th centuries - Jean-Baptiste Pigal, Antoine Coisevo, Francois Girardon, Pierre Puget, the Coustou brothers and others.
Of the masters of foreign schools, Italians are most fully represented. True masterpieces are the relief of the Nymph of Fontainebleau by Benvenuto Cellini and two sculptures by Michelangelo - “The Dying Slave” and “The Bound Slave”, as well as works by the great Italian master Antonio Canova, who created the famous sculptural group “Cupid and Psyche”.
Art of Islam – Arts de l’Islam
The Department of Islamic Art is the youngest department of the Louvre. It was opened in 2003 in the Visconti pavilion, specially built for it, which is located in the courtyard of the museum.
Under an unusual glass roof, similar to a fluttering piece of brocade, about 3 thousand exhibits are exhibited, representing the cultural heritage of the Islamic civilization, which stretched from Andalusia to India, from its origins in the 7th century to the 18th century. Here you can see various examples of decorative finishing and processing of materials - carpets, stone objects, ivory products, ceramics, artificial marble ornaments, metal forging and wood carvings, paintings.
The Louvre began collecting objects brought from many countries of the Arab-Islamic world since the end of the 19th century. Some of the items were inherited from the richest collections of French monarchs, others were acquired by the museum itself or donated by private collectors. However, before the opening of the new pavilion, only a small part of this amazing collection was put on public display.
The entire exhibition “The Art of Islam” consists of several sections:
- Age of Arab conquest (632 - 1000 AD)
- Division of the Islamic world into western and eastern parts (from the 11th to the mid-13th centuries)
- The weakening of the influence of Islam in Spain and its penetration into the territory of India (mid-XIII - XV centuries)
- The periods of the reign of the Persian Safavid dynasty, the Great Mughals and the Ottoman Empire (XVI - XVIII centuries).
Graphic art – Arts graphiques
The Louvre's graphic arts department was opened in 1797. His collection includes more than 130 thousand works.
All available exhibits are distributed across three exhibitions:
- Hall of drawings
- Calcography (14 thousand copper engravings)
- Collection of Edmond Rothschild (500 illustrated books, 40 thousand prints and 3 thousand drawings).
The core of this collection consists of objects stored in the Royal Cabinet, which has been in the Louvre since its founding. Works of Western art include about 126 thousand exhibits made on paper from the 14th to the beginning of the 20th century. Basically, they are stored in albums or diaries. In addition to the traditional graphic drawing technique, there is watercolor, gouache, pastel and large-format images on cardboard.
Over the years, this collection was replenished with acquisitions of Louis XIV, works by court artists and gifts from private collections. For example, in 1989, 2 drawings by Leonardo da Vinci that belonged to Countess de Behag were transferred to the Louvre. The museum's fund is now regularly replenished with the assistance of the Friends of the Louvre society and various charitable organizations.
Art of the civilizations of Africa, Asia and Oceania - Art et civilizations d’Afrique, d’Asie, d’Océanie et des Amériques
In April 2000, in the Louvre, with the participation of French President Jacques Chirac, the grand opening of the Sessions Pavilion, dedicated to the culture and art of Asia, Africa, Oceania and America, took place. A little later, in 2004, a similar museum was opened in Paris on the Quai Branly, the initial collection of which was exhibits from the Louvre.
This department exhibits 120 unusual sculptures, selected by the remarkable specialist in primitive arts, Jacques Kerchache. Among them we can note a figurine made of baked clay from Mexico (VII - II centuries BC) or a wooden sculpture from the island of Malo (early 19th century). For the most part, these works, created by peoples of less highly developed civilizations that existed on different continents, were not previously considered art.
Most of the items came to the Louvre from state collections in France, another fifteen sculptures were donated or purchased with museum funds, the rest of the figurines were transferred here for storage from Pakistan, Nicaragua, Mexico, Canada and Taiwan.
History of the Louvre
And finally, for those interested, you can read the history of the Louvre. Very informative information for those who are not indifferent to the history of the legendary museum.
At the end of the 12th century, Philip Augustus, going on a Crusade with Richard the Lionheart and Frederick 1 Barbarossa, was concerned about protecting the city (and his property) from the Saxons. He ordered the construction of a fortress wall, which became the border of Paris at that time.
One of the towers, located in the town of Lupara (from the Latin lupus - wolf), was named Louvre (perhaps this name is related to the name of the area, or perhaps comes from the Frankish word leovar, meaning fortification - historians argue). It was opposite this that a high fortress of white stone was built, which became the treasury of Philip Augustus: there he kept weapons, jewelry and books.
On the lower floors of the Louvre, the remains of the fortress are still preserved; if you wish, you can touch the first stones that laid the foundation for future splendor. However, at that time the king himself never lived in the fortress, and the Louvre had yet to become a symbol of royal power.
Paris flourished and grew, and almost two hundred years later, in 1356, an earthen rampart was built, far removed from the previous border. The Louvre was no longer an important defensive structure. But the fortress surrounded by a moat with four-meter walls attracted the attention of Charles V, who almost died during the Parisian uprising while in the less safe Concierge Palace.
In 1364, the architect Raymond du Temple began work on converting the fortress into a residence for the king. Crenellated towers were built, extensions and individual outbuildings were rebuilt into halls with huge windows, connected by external staircases. In the Book Tower, Charles V the Wise built a library that consisted of 900 volumes.
But the brief era of prosperity did not last long. Charles VI had already left the Louvre, and the fortress fell into sleep.
Francis I awakened the Louvre and breathed new life into it. This monarch brought the Renaissance to France from his campaigns; he patronized Leonardo da Vinci. Is it any wonder that, on his instructions, the talented architect Pierre Lescot completely rebuilt the fortress, demolishing the Great Tower and erecting a Renaissance-style palace in its place.
At the same time, a good tradition was born: each successive French monarch certainly made changes to the Louvre, completing it to his own taste. From the time of Francis I to the present day, the Lescaut Wing between the Square Court and the Napoleon Court has been preserved.
By the middle of the 16th century, the Louvre looked rather strange: heterogeneous buildings of recent years stood side by side with dilapidated old buildings. Catherine the Bloody Medici, in her characteristic harsh manner, demanded that the palace be completely rebuilt. And in 1564, construction began on the Tuileries, almost half a kilometer west of the Louvre. By 1610, already under Henry IV, the Louvre and the Tuileries were connected by a grandiose building - the Grand Gallery, whose length is 442 meters.
During the reign of Louis XIII, Car Carais was built, which became four times larger than the previous residence. And in 1624 the famous Clock Tower (Sully Pavilion) was erected. In the second half of the 17th century, two new wings appeared, which closed the huge courtyard of the Louvre.
The triumphant procession of the construction of the Louvre is crowned by the creation of the eastern façade designed by the brother of the famous storyteller Charles Perrault - Claude Perrault. The façade is a colonnade, designed in the style of mature classicism, and has since served as an ideal for the construction of public buildings throughout the world.
Another era of oblivion awaited the Louvre during the reign of Louis XIV, who survived the Parisian uprising as a child and since then disliked Paris and the Louvre. Under this monarch, the court moved to Versailles, and all construction work at the former residence was suspended. For some time, Louis even entertained the idea of demolishing the Louvre, but, fortunately, he was dissuaded.
The idea of turning the Louvre into a museum was born under Louis XV, but only came to fruition after the revolution. And in 1793, the doors of the Napoleon Museum were opened to visitors for the first time.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the museum's collection expanded incredibly with war trophies. This was the beginning of the world-famous collections of archaeological finds from Egypt and the Middle East.
Construction work was resumed and ended in the middle of the 19th century. Napoleon's court was finally decorated, and at the same time statues of people who glorified France appeared. Descartes, Rabelais, Voltaire, Richelieu, Abelard and other great thinkers and politicians were immortalized.
François Mitterrand began a new, modern stage of transformation of the Louvre in 1989. It was marked by the appearance of an unusual glass pyramid, which was designed by an American architect of Chinese origin, Yo Ming Pei. The controversy surrounding its appropriateness in the Louvre has been serious, no less than in its time regarding the Eiffel Tower. But one thing can be said with confidence: with her appearance, the number of visitors to the Louvre doubled. Well, apparently, it’s true that you need to visit the Louvre yourself, including in order to form your opinion about Pei’s pyramid.
The Louvre is an eternally young, living palace-museum. The tradition of constantly adding to it and making changes to keep up with the times has been preserved by the French to this day. At the same time, the atmosphere of past centuries is carefully preserved, and due to the museum’s collections of antiquity, one gets the feeling that the Louvre is the custodian of not only French, but also the entire world history. And, of course, you want to at least once stroll through its courtyards, walk through a glass pyramid, wander through medieval cellars, enjoy the tickling feeling caused by touching the secrets of antiquity, be captivated by the magnificent splendor of the Renaissance and pay tribute to the strict and majestic lines of the Classical era - everyone is in the Louvre will find that piece of history that will be close to him.
How to get there
Address: 99, rue de Rivoli, Paris 75058Telephone: +33 1 40 20 50 50
Website: louvre.fr
Metro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre
Working hours: 9:00-18:00
The Louvre is a unique museum complex, one of the largest in the world. The exhibitions occupy 58,470 square meters, and the total area of the museum is 160,106 m². The history of the Louvre is eventful, dating back approximately 700 years. Initially it was a fortress, which was later converted into a royal palace.
The Louvre was founded in the 12th century by Philip Augustus (King of France). Since its founding, the Louvre has undergone numerous renovations and reconstructions. All the French kings, who did not even live permanently in the Louvre, tried to introduce something new into the appearance of the building.
For King Philip Augustus, the Louvre was a fortress, the main task of which was to protect the western approaches to Paris, so the Louvre was a powerful structure with a central tower.
During the reign of Charles V, the fortress was turned into a royal residence. It was this king who initiated the reconstruction of the fortress into a building that would be suitable for the king’s stay. The idea was implemented by the architect Raymond de Temple, who also took care of the reliable protection of the king, surrounding the building with powerful fortress walls.
Around the end of the 18th century, all work on the construction of the Louvre was successfully completed.
The museum received its first visitors in November 1793. At first, the main source of replenishment of the Louvre's funds were the royal collections collected by Francis I and Louis XIV. At the time of the museum’s founding, the collection already included 2,500 paintings.
Today, the Louvre houses 350,000 exhibits, some of which are kept in storage.
Schedule:
Monday - 9:00-17:30
Tuesday - Closed
Wednesday - 9:00-21:30
Thursday - 9:00-17:30
Friday - 9:00-21:30
Saturday - 9:00-17:30
Sunday - 9:00-17:30
Official website of the museum: louvre.fr
Most Parisians consider the Louvre to be their top attraction. But the glass pyramid, designed by Chinese-American architect Yeo Ming Peo, according to townspeople, does not really fit with the Renaissance-style palace. This structure has the same parameters as the Egyptian pyramid of Cheops. Creates a feeling of space and light, and also acts as the main entrance to the museum.
Story
Historically, the architecture of the Louvre has always combined many styles. This was started by King Philip Augustus, who built a defensive fortress on the western border side of Paris in the 12th century. For one thing, it served as a repository for the royal archives and treasury.
Further, under King Charles the Fifth, it was transformed into royal apartments. Architects of the Renaissance period rebuilt the palace ensemble, trying to fulfill a virtually impossible goal - to satisfy the tastes of two kings: Francis the First and Henry the Fourth, whose statue now stands on the New Bridge. The main part of the fortress wall was destroyed and a huge gallery was built, which connected the Louvre with the Tuileries Palace, which still existed at that time.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Henry the Fourth, who had great sympathy for art, invited artists to live in the palace. He promised them spacious halls for workshops, homes and the rank of palace painters.
Louis XIV practically put an end to the prestige of the Louvre as the residence of kings. He moved to Versailles, along with the entire court, and artists, sculptors and architects settled in the Louvre. Among their number were Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, Guillaume Coustou. It was then that the Louvre fell into such disrepair that plans began to be made for its demolition.
At the end of the French Revolution, the Louvre became known as the Central Museum of Art. At the same time, Napoleon the Third will bring into reality what Henry the Fourth dreamed of - the Richelieu wing was added to the Louvre. It became a mirror image of the Haut-Bor-de-l'Eau gallery. But the Louvre did not become symmetrical for long - during the Paris Commune, the Tuileries Palace burned down, and along with it a large part of the Louvre.
Collection
Today, the Louvre has more than 350 thousand works of art, and approximately 1,600 employees who organize the functioning of the museum. The collection is located in three wings of the building: the Richelieu wing is located along the Rue de Rivoli; The Denon wing runs parallel to the Seine and a square courtyard surrounds the Sully wing.
Ancient East and Islam. The halls display objects of ancient art from the regions from the Persian Gulf to the Bosphorus, in particular Mesopotamia, the countries of the Levant and Persia.
The Louvre's collection includes more than 55,000 pieces of ancient Egyptian art. The exhibition demonstrates the results of the crafts of the ancient Egyptians - stuffed animals, papyri, sculptures, talismans, paintings and mummies.
Art of Ancient Greece, Etruscans and Ancient Rome. These are the fruits of creative searches in recreating a person and a special vision of beauty. Actually, it is these halls that present the main sculptural treasures of the Louvre - those that museum visitors usually want to see first. These are statues of Apollo and the Venus de Milo, dating back to the hundredth year BC, as well as the statue of the Nike of Samothrace, which was found in the form of 300 fragments a thousand years after its creation.
Arts and crafts are displayed on the second floor. You will see all kinds of objects: the throne of Napoleon the First and unique tapestries, miniatures, porcelain and jewelry, fine bronze and even royal crowns.
The ground and first floors of the Richelieu wing and the Denon wing are occupied by an extensive collection of works of French sculpture, as well as a small number of exhibits from Italy, Holland, Germany, and Spain. Among them are two works by the great Michelangelo, which are called “The Slave”.
The Louvre houses one of the world's most extensive collections of paintings, and naturally, the French school is represented in the museum most comprehensively.
Gioconda
The main work that tourists primarily want to see is the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) by Leonardo da Vinci. This painting is located in the Denon wing, in a separate small room - the Salle des Etas, which can only be accessed from the Grand Gallery.
This room was built quite recently, specifically to make it convenient for tourists to view the most recognizable painting in the world without bumping into each other, although it is kept behind two layers of glass.
The painting was painted over 500 years ago and was da Vinci's favorite work. There is an opinion that Leonardo painted a self-portrait in women's clothing, and it combines two principles - yin and yang. If you look into Mona Lisa's eyes, the chin appears in the distant zone of vision, which gives the impression of an elusive smile. And if you look at the lips, the smile disappears and this is where its mystery lies.
Despite its greatness, La Gioconda itself is even smaller in size than its reproductions in the souvenir shops of the Louvre.
David Stanley / flickr.com Frank Reyes / flickr.com Mauricio Lima / flickr.com alex hanoko / flickr.com Andrés Nieto Porras / flickr.com photophilde / flickr.com Artotem / flickr.com Yaacob HASAN / flickr.com Inverted Pyramid - view from the inside (Erik Drost / flickr.com) Paris Sunset from the window of the Louvre (Dimitry B. / flickr.com)
There are monuments that have preserved their original appearance to this day. But there are architectural masterpieces that have been externally transformed and changed their purpose. Such gifts of antiquity include the Louvre.
Its changes began from the warlike status of a medieval fortress to an elegant royal palace. And for two centuries now, the Louvre has the status of the most famous museum in the world.
Location of the Louvre
The fame of this museum is so great that a citizen of any state, having at least a secondary education, is aware of its existence. But not everyone knows what exactly is presented in the museum, what it looks like, what is located next to it and where it is located. Let us describe the specific address of the Louvre.
Square in front of the Louvre (Artotem / flickr.com)
The Louvre is located in the capital of France, Paris. And, like all buildings in the city, it has its own official address: Palais Royal, Musée du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France. The first two words translated mean “Royal Palace”. The last digit of the index is the number of the district - the first, oldest, district of Paris.
One side of the Louvre is located on the Rue de Rivoli, and the other faces the great river of France - the Seine.
The closest metro station is Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre.
You can get to the Louvre from the metro, but there is a more interesting way, along which you have to go up, cross the Rue de Rivoli, enter one of the arches of the museum and now you are greeted by Napoleon's courtyard with a glass pyramid, which serves as the entrance to the museum.
Pyramids in front of the Louvre - how to get to the museum?
Having mentioned the glass pyramid of the museum, it is definitely worth talking about it in a little more detail. The pyramid appeared at the end of the 20th century. Its history is connected with the name of the talented architect Yong Ming Pei.
Inverted Pyramid - Inside View (Erik Drost / flickr.com)
The start of construction was accompanied by the opinion that the new construction in every respect could spoil the aristocratic atmosphere of the Louvre. But contrary to many fears, the pyramid further emphasized the beauty of the museum. In addition, it solved the main practical problem - it relieved the increasing flow of people wishing to visit the Louvre every year.
The pyramid is located in the courtyard of the museum complex and is a structure made of glass and metal. Special lighting allows you to see its lobby. The impressively sized hall located under the pyramid is the museum's information center, from here you can take an escalator without queues to all the galleries of the Louvre or go down to its internal halls.
Next to the museum complex, on the right bank of the Great French River, is the Tuileries Garden. The green quarters of the garden spread out their charming alleys between the Louvre and the Champs Elysees.
The Tuileries Garden has the status of the oldest city park in the French capital. Citizens and tourists love to relax here with their entire families, introducing the younger generation to the sights of the park. And this acquaintance will long leave in the memory the past and present wealth of the French Republic.
