The Louvre Museum is one of the most famous and visited museums in Paris, with an interesting history. It attracts more than 10 million visitors every year and has won various awards for being the most visited museum for consecutive years. The museum is home to world-famous art pieces and many people visit to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa or other artwork that is present in the museum. If you are planning to visit The Louvre Museum, you can check our comprehensive guide here. Here we will share some interesting facts about The Louvre Museum which will enhance your knowledge and help you learn why it is so famous.
Interesting Facts about The Louvre Museum
Biggest Museum in The World
If you are still not convinced about visiting the museum, you must note that The Louvre Museum is the biggest museum in the world. It covers a total area of 652,300 square feet and can accommodate more than 15,000 visitors at once. Distributed over three floors, it is a historic landmark. The glass pyramid-like structure further adds to its beauty and makes it appealing.
The Louvre has existed for 8 centuries
Originally, The Louvre Museum was built as a grand fortress in Paris. In the 16th century, it was converted into a royal palace and then later turned into a museum. Every monarch aimed at expanding it during their reign of the royal residence. The original structure was built by King Philip August in the 12th century. He claimed that Paris was his capital and The Louvre Museum was the centralized building.
The Louvre Museum was once a home
One of the interesting facts about the Louvre Museum is that it also served as a place of residence in the 14th century. Charles V defeated the English and took over the museum as his residence.
First National Museum in France
The Louvre Museum, formerly known as Museum des Arts, was the first national museum declared in Paris. It was first opened to the public in 1793, with about 500 pieces of artwork. Today, there are thousands of art pieces that make it worth exploring and visiting.
4000 Artworks were displaced during the WWII
The Nazis were also responsible for stealing the artwork. During World War II, it was found that 4000 artworks were displaced. In 1939, the Nazis even stole and burnt more than 3,800 art pieces.
It Would Take 100 Days to See All the Art
There are thousands of art pieces in the museum and it may get impossible to explore everything in a span of a day or two. It has been estimated that it may take 100 days to explore all the art pieces if you take around 30 seconds to explore each artwork. You can even consider taking a pass to explore The Louvre Museum at your pace.
Home to Mona Lisa Building
The Louvre Museum is home to thousands of artworks and paintings. One of the most famous paintings which have permanent residence at the museum is that of Mona Lisa by Leonarda Da Vinci. A large number of visitors come to the museum to explore and look at the painting. The following are some of the other paintings that you must consider exploring at the museum:
- The Raft of the Medusa (Gérciault)
- La Belle Ferronière (Da Vinci)
- Winged Victory of Samothrace
- Venus de Milo
- The Caryatids
- The Slaves (Michelangelo)
- Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss (Canova)
- Sainte Anne (Da Vinci)
- Liberty Leading the People (Délacroix)
- The Glass Pyramid
- Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman (Botticelli)
Many have tried to damage the Mona Lisa painting
Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings at The Louvre Museum. Many people have tried to put harm the building and there have also been instances of the painting getting stolen.
25{57153e4ab753c507cd6198faae0710d11a07825d82c419cbd687d96f04d70f48} of Leonardo Da Vinci's Paintings are in The Louvre Museum
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous artists, engineer, and architect. Mona Lisa is undoubtedly one of the most famous paintings by Leonardo. Besides this, 25{57153e4ab753c507cd6198faae0710d11a07825d82c419cbd687d96f04d70f48} of his paintings have been situated in the museum. You can see his collection and discover some of the most artistic pieces.
66{57153e4ab753c507cd6198faae0710d11a07825d82c419cbd687d96f04d70f48} of Art was made by French Artists
The galleries at The Louvre Museum display a large collection of art pieces made by artists across the world. The estimate and the studies have discovered that there are more than 66{57153e4ab753c507cd6198faae0710d11a07825d82c419cbd687d96f04d70f48} of the artwork has been made by local French artists. The galleries that are displaying French paintings have been divided into the following eight categories:
- Decorative arts
- Paintings
- Prints and Drawings
- Sculptures
- Near Eastern Antiquities
- Egyptian Antiquities
- Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities
- Islamic Art
Louvre Museum was believed to be haunted
There are often misconceptions that a mummy named Belphegor haunts the hallways of The Louvre Museum. The museum was built in the Tuileries Gardens, which was also believed to be haunted by ghosts. It is said that the ghost appears in red color and is described as totally threatening.
Napolean renamed the museum
The museum has been taken over by Napolean, the Nazis, and many others. When Napolean came into power, he even changed the name of the museum. It was renamed the Louvre Museum the Musee Napolean. He even aimed to expand the collection of the museum and added 5000 more paintings to the museum. However, most of the paintings were stolen or wrongfully added to the museum. When he fell from power, the paintings were returned to their respective owners. He also took the famous Mona Lisa painting to his private headquarters.
The Glass Pyramid is 21m high
Many of you must have thought that the architecture was designed by a Chinese architect. However, it was a Chinese man named I.M. Pei who was responsible for designing the architecture. There have also been debates about whether the structure is Parisian-inspired or Chinese. The main pyramid plays a significant role and stands 21 meters high.
The Louvre’s Galleries cover an area over 15 acres
There are more than 400,000 pieces of art inside the museum and it has been spread over 15 acres. However, you should be aware that there are only 35,000 pieces of art that are available for public display.
Five Pyramids in the Louvre Museum
One of the most interesting facts about The Louvre Museum that most people are unaware of is that there are five pyramids in the museum. The I.M Pei is the iconic pyramid, which is further surrounded by three small glass pyramids. The three smaller pyramids help create light shafts which help in highlighting the collection of the museum. The fifth pyramid at the Louvre Museum is the Louvre Pyramide inversée (inverted pyramid) in Carrousel du Louvre. You must plan a visit to the museum and explore all the pyramids.
Interesting Facts about The Louvre Museum – Summing Up
These are some of the interesting facts about The Louvre Museum that make it exciting and worth the visit. Every day, the museum is crowded and there are thousands of visitors. Therefore, you should check the timings and plan your visit accordingly. Check out our complete guide to The Louvre Museum for more information. Stay tuned to Scott and Ben for more such travel-related guides and updates.