#history
Leuvre Museum
The Leuvre Museum in Paris is one of the oldest , most famous and most visited museums in the world.
The Louvre Museum was first established in 1793, and is the world’s largest art museum and one of the most historic monuments in Paris. It is the central landmark of the city, as it is located on the right bank of the Seine river.
There are approximately 35,000 objects within the museum, dating back from pre-history to the 21st century. In 2018, the Louvre was the world’s most visited art museum with an astounding 10.2 million visitors ahead of the Vatican Museum.
The museum was first opened on August 10, 1793, with only 537 paintings on display. Due to several structural issues that accompanied the building, the Louvre had to be closed in 1796 until 1801. After reopening, the collection of art was increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed ‘Musee Napoleon.’ The collection continued to increase over the years when eventually the museum owned 20,000 pieces during the Second French Empire.
During World War I, the expansion of the museum was quite slow and there were no new works that were of significance being acquired.
At the beginning of World War II, the majority of the art collection was removed from the museum, and more valuable pieces were hidden. When Germany ended up occupying the Sudetenland, much more important artworks such as the Mona Lisa, were removed and hidden in the Chateau de Chambord.
