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Louvre, Paris - detailed information about the museum with photos and videos. Louvre - history of construction Louvre Museum in Paris

We are going to the Louvre (le Louvre). Once a fortress, then a palace, and now a museum, the Louvre is one of the most famous in the world, the third largest (160 thousand square meters) and the most visited collection of works of art. More than 9 million people come here every year. The Louvre houses over 300 thousand exhibits, but we can only see 35 thousand of them. The reason is that there is not enough exhibition space for all these riches, given all the gigantic size of the museum, and that many cultural treasures require special storage conditions: they cannot be shown to the public for a long time, they may not withstand increased attention, and then no amount of restoration will help.

The museum's overflowing storerooms prompted its employees to open branches of the Louvre in the town of Lens in northern France and in the capital of the United Nations. United Arab Emirates.

Story. Palace of Arts on the Wolf Place

The end of the 12th century was a turbulent time for Europe, including Paris. Viking raiders especially harassed the French. They rode on their longships across the seas, looked over the waves and into the mouths of rivers, plundered, and then burned those cities and towns that were carelessly located on the shores. Paris therefore waited with horror and trepidation that one day Scandinavian robbers would get to it again.

Philip II Auguste, also known as Philip the Crooked, became the first monarch of the country to call himself, contrary to custom, not the King of the Franks, but the King of France. In 1190, so that the Varangians, as well as his English relatives from the Plantagenet dynasty who had coveted the French throne, would not take the Parisians and other subjects by surprise, he completed (of course, not himself) the donjon - the Great Tower of the Louvre - on the right bank of the Seine. And opposite, on the left bank, the Nelskaya Tower appeared. Both of them closed the fortress wall that surrounded the capital. Later, a castle-fortress was built next to the Louvre Tower. From it, according to the king’s plan, it was necessary to conduct constant surveillance of the section of the Seine from Paris to the confluence of the river into the English Channel, from where the ushkuyniki could arrive on longships. And Philip himself, having given orders, in good company - with Richard the Lionheart and Frederick I Barbarossa - left for the Crusade.

Years passed. The Vikings changed, gave up robberies, and gradually became worthy members of society, some even monarchs. And a fortress on the banks of the Seine, in an area called Lupara, either because there were wolves there (in Latin - lupus, in French - le loup), or leading its etymology from the Frankish word “leovar” (fortification), a century later with a quarter became the residence of King Charles V. The state treasury and the personal library of the autocrat were also kept here, numbering as many as 973 volumes - a huge collection of works at that time.

In 1528, the Great Tower of the Louvre was destroyed by order of King Francis. I (François I ) – as dilapidated and obsolete (its perfectly preserved foundation can now be seen in the museum, look at the photo below). And in its place, a couple of decades later, they began to build a royal residence. More than three centuries have passed, more than a dozen monarchs have changed, until under Emperor Napoleon III in 1852, architects and builders did not put an end to the creation of the Louvre, begun by Francis - a brave man, warrior, patron of the muses, who invited Italian masters to the country, led by Leonardo da Vinci, who gave a magical impetus to the French Renaissance.

All these years, kings and emperors from their campaigns brought sculptures and antiquities from all over the world to the Louvre, and bought works from artists. Of course, at first the collection was available only to the aristocracy, but after the Great French Revolution, in 1793, the doors of the Louvre opened to representatives of all classes.

By 1989, on the 200th anniversary of the revolution, French President François Mitterrand ordered the construction of four glass pyramids and fountains in the courtyard of the Louvre, designed by Chinese-American architect Yo Ming Pei. Another way to spell his name is Bei Yuming (by the way, he will turn 100 years old in April 2017). Not everyone liked this idea; many considered the appearance of high-tech against the backdrop of buildings in the classicist style to be blasphemy. But, as is the case with Eiffel Tower, the pyramids of the Louvre very soon became familiar to Parisians. And not only for Parisians. Seeing this glass miracle for the first time, I realized how correct and appropriate the decision was to build the pyramids here: their clear lines perfectly set off the old walls of the palace.

How to get there

The Louvre is located nearby. For example, I begin every new date with Paris to the dull and deep voices of the bells of Notre Dame, and I advise you to do so. And to get from here to the Louvre, you and I just need to cross from the Ile de la Cité to the right, northern bank of the Seine along one of three bridges (there are nine of them on the island): Pont Notre-Dame, Pont de Change (pont au Change), or even better along the New Bridge (pont Neuf).

The new bridge, contrary to its name, is the oldest in Paris - it was opened back in 1606 under King Henry IV. Among the French it even became a proverb. They are talking about something long and well known: this story is as new as the New Bridge. The bridge is interesting in that it crosses both branches of the Seine and the “nose” of the island of Cité, which is similar in outline to a ship, connecting four banks at once.

We crossed to the right bank and we see in front of us not just anything, but “Samaritain”. This, along with Galeries Lafayette and Printant, is one of the three most famous and oldest big stores Paris, to the phenomenon of which Emile Zola dedicated his novel “Ladies' Happiness”. But we’ll stop by for shopping later, because now we’re going to the Louvre.

And it is already very close - from the New Bridge to the left, then a few steps along the Louvre embankment, turning into the François Mitterrand embankment, and now in front of us is the Square Courtyard (le Cour Carée) of the museum. Moving further along the embankment, you can enter the Louvre courtyard through the Lion Gate, or you can go around the palace on the right and get here from the Rue de Rivoli - the most luxurious and expensive street not only in Paris, but, perhaps, in Europe - through the Richelieu passage or through the Carrousel gallery .

If you get to the Louvre by metro, then you should go to the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre station, from which you can go directly to the shopping center under the museum building, and from there - in the shade great pyramid, which is the entrance to the museum. Another option is to get to the Louvre Rivoli station. If you don’t want to go underground, choose one of the bus routes: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95. All of these buses stop near the main entrance to the museum.

Visiting days and prices

The Louvre Museum is open daily, except Tuesday, from 9.00 to 18.00, on Wednesday and Friday until 21.45. You will be asked to vacate the premises 15 minutes before closing. On holidays - January 1, May 1 and December 25 - the museum is closed.

From October to March, access to the Louvre's permanent collections is free on the first Sunday of the month, as is the case on July 14, Bastille Day. On Wednesday and Friday evenings, young people under 26 will also not be asked for money, just show an ID (I think a foreign passport will do) that contains your date of birth.

A ticket to the Louvre costs 15 euros, but if you want to walk around the museum with a Russian-speaking guide, then be prepared to part with 45 euros. True, the guide only works with a group, so either come with friends, or wait until the required number of art lovers from Russia and the CIS countries gather. But, it seems to me, anyone who is at least a little familiar with the history of art will not need a guide in the Louvre - its exhibits are so famous.

What can you see

Everyone comes to the Louvre for something different: I, say, am interested in cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, which are 6 thousand years old (pictured below), others can’t wait to look at Egyptian sarcophagi, papyri, Fayum portraits, a third is attracted by the art of Ancient Greece and Rome. There are also exhibitions of artifacts from Persia and the Levant, a collection of paintings by European artists - from the 13th century and the Renaissance to mid-19th century (canvases by later painters are presented in the Orsay Museum. It is located on the embankment of the same name on the other bank of the Seine, directly opposite the Louvre).

What to see

But you can’t help but visit the Louvre and see the three grand dames of world culture.

Firstly, this is, of course, the Venus de Milo. A beautiful white marble statue (scientists date it to 130 - 100 BC), when the French sailor Olivier Voutier and local resident Yorgos Kentrotas dug her up in 1820 on the Greek island of Milos, still with her hands. But then a squabble began between the French, who sought permission to take the find home, and the Turks, whose possessions the island was then... In a word, what was left to world culture was what was left.

Secondly, you will not pass by Nike (sometimes they say Nika) of Samothrace. This goddess of victory, and a sea goddess, because she stands on a pedestal in the shape of the bow of a marble ship, is beautiful even without a head. Where did the head go that was discovered in 1863 on the island of Samothraki (Samothraki) in the northeast? Aegean Sea sculptures of the 2nd century BC - history is silent this time. Historians are still arguing in honor of whose victory and in what naval battle the masterpiece was created. Let's not disturb them, let's go further along the corridors of the Louvre...

...And we will come to the painting department, the collection of which began with a collection of paintings by the same patron of the arts, Francis I, and was replenished through the efforts of Louis XIV, whom we remember from his aphorisms “the state is me” and “precision is the politeness of kings.” Francis bought all available works by Leonardo da Vinci after the death of the master, including La Gioconda, and Louis gathered at his court such painters as, for example, Charles Lebrun and Pierre Mignard, whose canvases we now see in the Louvre next to paintings by Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, the great artists of the 19th century Eugene Delacroix with his “Freedom Leading the People to the Barricades” and Theodore Géricault with his terrifying “The Raft of the Medusa”.

When you and I pass all these painters who have dipped their brushes into eternity, we will meet the most mysterious woman of all time. Yes, you guessed it - with Gioconda. No reproductions, even the highest quality ones, can convey the charm of the Mona Lisa. Before my first date with her, I wondered what people saw in this plump lady. And only when I saw her with my own eyes, I realized: she’s simply charming! See for yourself.

Leonardo's masterpiece hangs in a bulletproof display case with constant temperature and humidity control. separate wall. There is not a single picture on the wall anymore. A dense crowd, seemingly motionless, stands in front of the most famous painting in the history of mankind. Only the eyes. Only flashes and the crackle of cameras. A short exhale, and another one who met the gaze of Mona Lisa carefully gets out of the crowd.

Some people forget about everything in the excitement of the meeting. For such people, a sign was placed next to the La Gioconda: “Caution! Beware of pickpockets! In a word, keep your pockets in check and don’t lose your head in sight of the beautiful lady. You're not Nike of Samothrace, are you?

Overflowing with beauty, we will leave the museum, go to the triumphal arch on the small Place Carrousel, which closes the open courtyard of the Louvre to the west, and stand in front of it. The opening of the arch will reveal the stunning main historical axis of Paris: from the Louvre to the Tuileries Garden, and then the Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe on Place des Stars, which since 1970 has been named after Charles de Gaulle, and there, behind the Seine, is the ultra-modern Grand Arch in the La Défense business district.

You and I may not get that far, but need to show up.

The Louvre is one of the largest art museums peace. 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 the 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 its return. 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, Napoleon I continued work at the Louvre. 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 modern look. 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 La Gioconda (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 other 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.

December 8, 2010 | Categories: Places , History , Architecture

Rating: +4 Article author: 4ek Views: 34140

The Louvre Palace or Louvre Palace (palais du Louvre) is one of the main attractions of Paris, the largest royal castle cities. The former royal residence today houses one of the most famous museums in the world - the Louvre (Musée du Louvre). The Royal Palace and Louvre Museum is one of the largest museum complexes in the world and is the most visited on the planet. Architectural history The Louvre Palace dates back almost 900 years and is inseparable from the history of the French capital.

View of the central facade of the Louvre Palace, complemented by two side wings and five pavilions, richly decorated with sculptural decoration.

History of construction

In the 11th century, on the site of the current Louvre Palace, there was a medieval fortress that served as a reliable defensive structure. In 1190, to expand the fortress, the construction of two additional fortress towers began, located on the right and left banks of the Seine River. One of the towers was called the “Louvre Tower” (Tour du Louvre), and was subsequently also expanded. At the beginning of the 14th century, a new fortress wall was erected around Paris and the massive defensive structure lost its utilitarian function. Therefore, in 1317, King Charles V ordered the fortress to be converted into a new Louvre castle - palais du Louvre, which was to become the new royal residence. Most of the castle was demolished in the 16th century by order of King Francis I (Françoise I), who decided to build a new royal palace, the Louvre. In 1546, the project for a new royal residence was presented by the architect Pierre Lescot, whose work was fully consistent with the canons of Renaissance architecture. The facade of the Louvre Palace created by him became one of the most mature examples of Renaissance architecture in all of France. At the end of the 16th century, the palace was complemented by the Grand Gallery (Les grande galerie), which connected the royal residence with the Tuileries Castle (château des Tuileries). The length of the Louvre's Grand Gallery is 442 m, and the structure itself consists of several protruding pavilions topped with sloping domes. Expansion of the Louvre Palace continued almost continuously over the next 300 years - almost every new ruler of France sought to make changes to the architecture of the existing residence.

Features of facade design

The Louvre Palace is a monumental palace complex with a closed square plan. The facades of the residence are lavishly decorated with decorative sculptures, stucco moldings and antique architectural elements - traditional for Renaissance architecture. The western wing of the castle is complemented by the Marsan pavillon, topped with a sculptural dome, at the base of which there is a triangular pediment with a massive bas-relief.

The western wing of the Louvre Palace, or Lescot Wing, is complemented by a large arched gallery on the first tier, two pavilions, and many sculptures located on the protruding cornice above the gallery.

The eastern façade of the Louvre Palace is decorated with a massive Corinthian colonnade consisting of twin columns. This is a project by the architect Claude Perrault, and the facade of the palace bears the name of the architect - Colonnade de Perrault. The central place of the facade is occupied by a triangular pediment with a relief depicting the chariot of Apollo - an image that King Louis XIV considered his allegory.

The outermost pavilion of the Lescaut Wing, the Flora Pavilion, is topped by a massive mansard roof, decorated with sculpted semicircular pediments, complemented by statues of Greek gods.

One of the external facades of the Louvre Palace is complemented by the Arc de Triomphe, topped with a bronze statue of the four horses, which is a symbol of the return of the Bourbon dynasty. Despite the fact that most of the pavilions and outbuildings of the residence were erected in different eras and are the embodiment of various architectural styles, the basis of the composition of the complex is the architecture of the Renaissance and neoclassicism. This is especially clearly expressed in the design of the central facade of the castle. The two-story building is complemented by a small portico with two tiers of double columns, the arched windows of the first floor are decorated with semi-columns and decorative pediments, and the central pavilion is crowned with a small semicircular dome.

Central pavilion of the main facade, Sully pavillon, royal palace The Louvre is decorated with many sculptural elements: statues of caryatids and angels, bas-reliefs, as well as a small clock dial.

A characteristic feature of the design of the facades of the Louvre Palace are numerous bas-reliefs depicting various motifs: mythological subjects, ancient speakers and thinkers, masks of ancient drama and comedy, as well as reliefs depicting French monarchs. Many decorative niches are decorated with statues of Greek gods, as well as athletic boys and girls; the building's cornices are decorated with sculptural friezes depicting floral or animal patterns.

The sculptural decoration of the Sully Pavilion is the quintessence of Renaissance architecture - many bas-reliefs, half-columns of the Corinthian order, sculptural cornices and semicircular decorative pediments.

Currently, the Louvre Palace (palais du Louvre) is considered one of the most beautiful and largest royal residences in the world. The most famous world-famous museum is located here, and the Louvre Palace itself is an architectural monument and national treasure of France. The abundance of decorative elements of the building's facade is amazing, making the architecture of the residence one of the brightest examples of the Renaissance style.

Pyramid of the Louvre

If you enter the Louvre through main entrance(Pyramid of the Louvre), you will have to stand in line for quite a long time, but you can take advantage of this. So, while waiting, you can enjoy a stunning view of Napoleon's courtyard with its fountains and pyramids. In addition, you will have time to examine the Louvre itself, which is amazing in size, from the outside.

Once you finally get inside the museum, at the information desk you can take a map of the Louvre, which shows the most famous works of art. It’s better, of course, to prepare in advance and print out a guide from the museum’s website (http://www.louvre.fr/). On the website in the section Visitor Trails You can choose from 27 suggested routes of varying durations. The most popular route, of course, is Masterpieces, which you will complete in about an hour and a half.

Attempts to embrace the immensity and cover the entire exhibition of the Louvre invariably end in failure, because the collection of this museum is simply immense. Therefore, you need to think in advance about what kind of works of art you want to see. The museum is divided into three wings (Richelieu, Denon and Sully), which include the following departments:

Egyptian antiquities;
Assyrian and Phoenician antiquities (containing the richest collection of them after the collection of the British Museum in London);
Etruscan and Greek vases (Campana collection) and funerary urns;
antique marbles (including the famous statues of Venus de Milo, Diana of Versailles, Borghese gladiator, etc.);
sculptures average centuries and the Renaissance (works by Goujon, “Diana of Fontaineble” by B. Cellini, “Two Slaves” by Michelangelo, etc.);
the latest sculpture (works by Puget, Coisevo, Coustou, Houdon, Chaudet, Rude, etc.);
painting (one of the best art galleries in the whole world, containing over 2000 exemplary works of various schools of painting);
original drawings by famous artists;
gems, enamels and jewelry placed in the so-called. "Apollo Gallery", remarkable for its size, luxurious decoration, lampshades and picturesque wall panels;
antique bronzes;
works of applied art average. centuries and the Renaissance;
ethnographic museum;
nautical;
engraved copper boards (calcography) with the sale of printed impressions from them.

The most popular part of the museum is the Denon wing. This is where most tourists flock, dreaming of catching a glimpse of the legendary “La Gioconda” by Leonardo da Vinci. In fact, you can only glance at the Mona Lisa out of the corner of your eye: the hall in which the most famous painting in the world is located is packed to capacity at almost any time of the day. A huge crowd of art connoisseurs line up in front of Leonardo's masterpiece, holding a camera in their raised hands. And the Mona Lisa smiles mockingly at visitors from behind armored glass...

In addition, the Denon wing also houses a huge gallery of Italian paintings, famous works by French artists of the 19th century and a collection of Italian and classical sculpture.

Many will also be interested in the Richelieu wing, on the third floor of which paintings from Western and Northern Europe are exhibited. Here you can see paintings by Durer and Vermeer. Hans Holbein the Younger and many other masters of painting. On the floor below there is a stunning collection of applied art, including the famous Napoleon Room, which amazes with the luxury of its decoration.

The Sully Wing will primarily attract those interested in the history of the Louvre.

Masterpieces of the Louvre

The calling card of the Louvre is the famous Gioconda or, as it is also called, . It is to this picture that all the signs lead, which the streams of tourists obediently follow. The Mona Lisa is covered with thick armored glass, and next to it there are always two guards and crowds of fans. Once upon a time, Mona Lisa came to Moscow, but then the museum’s management decided not to take this mysterious beauty anywhere else. So you can admire La Gioconda exclusively in the Louvre. Mona Lisa is in the Denon wing in hall 7.

Venus de Milo (Aphrodite) is no less famous than the previous beauty. The author of Venus is considered to be the sculptor Agesander of Antioch. This girl has a difficult fate. In 1820, because of her, a heated dispute ensued between the Turks and the French, during which the statue of the goddess was thrown to the ground and the beautiful sculpture was broken. The French collected the fragments in a hurry and... lost the hands of Venus! So the goddess of love and beauty became a victim of the battle for beauty. By the way, Venus's hands were never found, so this story may not be over yet. You can admire the armless beauty in the 16th hall of Greek, Etruscan and Roman treasures in the Sully wing.
Another symbol of the Louvre is Nike of Samothrace, goddess of victory. Unlike the Venus de Milo, this beauty managed to lose not only her arms, but also her head. Archaeologists have discovered many fragments of the statue: for example, in 1950, a brush of the goddess was found in Samothrace, which is now in a glass case immediately behind the pedestal of Nike herself. Alas, scientists were never able to find the head of the goddess. Nike of Samothrace is located in the Denon wing on the stairs in front of the entrance to the gallery of Italian paintings.
Another statue that is the pearl of the Louvre collection is Prisoner, or dying slave(work by Michelangelo). The Renaissance master is best known for his statue of David, but this sculpture deserves just as much attention. Denon Wing, first floor, hall No. 4.
Statue of seated Ramses II- another masterpiece that the Louvre can be proud of. This ancient Egyptian sculpture is located on ground floor in the Sully wing, in the 12th room of Egyptian antiquities.

The Louvre also has a fine collection of Mesopotamian monuments, the heart of which is code of laws of Hamurappi, written on a basalt stele. Hamurappi's laws can be seen in Hall 3 of the first floor of the Richelieu wing.
IN 75 room of French painting on the first floor of the Denon wing You can see paintings by the famous French artist Jacques Louis David, which includes perhaps his most famous painting - "Dedication to Emperor Napoleon I".
For lovers of Dutch painting, we recommend visiting Room 38 of the third floor of the Richelieu Gallery. Among other things, there is the famous "The Lacemaker" brushes by Jan Vermeer.
Through ground floor of the Sully wing You will be taken to fortifications of the old Louvre. Here you will see the walls of the medieval Louvre, which were found by archaeologists.
Apartments of Napoleon III, the last emperor of France, cannot help but amaze you with the luxury of their interior decoration. If you like the Empire style, be sure to visit second floor of the Richelieu wing: There is so much gold and crystal here that even your mouth is light!

Story

The Louvre was built at the end of the 12th century by King Philip Augustus. At that time, the Louvre was only a defensive fortress, but this structure was subject to changes century after century. Almost every king of France considered it necessary to introduce something new into the appearance of the Louvre. Thus, in the middle of the 16th century, Francis I, who decided to make the Louvre his Parisian residence, ordered his court architect to build a palace in the Renaissance style, and at the end of the 16th century, King Henry IV ordered the remains of the medieval fortress to be removed, the courtyard expanded and the Tuileries and Louvre palaces connected.

In 1682, the royal court moved to Versailles and the Louvre fell into disrepair until the French Revolution. In 1750, they even began to talk about the possible demolition of the palace.

New life was breathed into the Louvre by Napoleon, who resumed work on the construction of the Louvre. In addition, Napoleon made a huge contribution to the expansion of the museum’s collection, demanding from each nation he defeated a unique tribute in the form of works of art. Now the museum's catalog contains about 380 thousand exhibits.

For tourists

The Louvre is located in the heart of Paris, on the right bank of the Seine. You've probably already heard about the huge queues that await you at the entrance to the museum, but you shouldn't be afraid of them. Firstly, it is better to use not the main entrance through the Pyramid, near which an incredible number of people invariably crowd, but the passage through the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center. You can get there directly through the metro station Palais-Royal – Musée du Louvre.

To avoid a long queue at the entrance, you will either have to arrive about half an hour before the museum opens, or in the afternoon, when the flow of tourists has subsided a little. The museum is open from 9:00 to 18:00 on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and from 9:00 to 21:45 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesday – day off.

Entrance ticket to the Louvre costs 12 euros. If you want to visit not only the permanent exhibition, but also exhibitions and the Napoleon Hall, then a ticket will cost you 13 euros.

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The most famous museum on the planet, the symbol of Paris, the pride of France... that's right - this is the Louvre. And also... imagine 22 football fields at once; fill this space with tens of thousands of sculptures, paintings, jewelry, examples of ceramics and decor - in short, everything that humanity has produced over the past 5 thousand years; Imagine that every day two infantry divisions (25-30 thousand people) march through this territory. So, this is also the Louvre.

Why the Louvre is worth a visit

Almost 10 million people flock to the Louvre every year not only for the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. The museum offers 35,000 paintings, statues, frescoes, engravings, and prints for viewing. And this is only a small part: in total there is a third of a million in the museum’s holdings (a painting is on display for an average of three months, and then goes into storage to avoid damage - the atmosphere in public halls is detrimental to the preservation of the paintings). If you are strong, resilient and willing to spend up to 10 hours on inspection, each exhibit will get no more than a second of your time. Hence the logical conclusion: you need to plan your inspection in advance (and at the same time give up the idea of inspecting everything).

Of course, a trip to the museum is not a polar expedition, but careful preparation is still very desirable. And it starts with choosing goals.

Although the Louvre's exhibitions generally adhere to "chronological" and "national" principles, there are numerous exceptions. The fact is that collections donated to the Louvre are exhibited in their entirety out of respect for the donors. Therefore, do not be surprised if you still have to “catch” the paintings of your favorite artist one by one.

Here are the main sections of the museum:

Ancient East (art and culture of Iran, Mesopotamia and the Levant. This collection contains a stele with the carved laws of Hammurabi - the most ancient monument rule of law);
Ancient Egypt (including the Hellenistic and Roman periods. For the world famous Sphinx - here);
Ancient Greece and Rome (the Etruscan collection of monuments is also exhibited here - there is simply no analogue to it in the world);
Islamic Art (a relatively new collection, opened to the public only in 2003);
Sculptures (an almost immense collection of French and Italian statues - from the 6th to the mid-19th centuries);
Decorative and applied arts (dishes, furniture, tapestries, jewelry and, again, sculptures - for example, the famous equestrian statue of Charlemagne);
Graphic art: drawings, engravings, prints... in a word, everything that was not painted in oil or watercolor on canvas (the most extensive collection of the museum);
Painting: in addition to the well-known Mona Lisa, there are 4 more paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as paintings by Raphael, Titian, Correggio, El Greco, Goya, Delacroix and hundreds of others (about 6 thousand exhibits in total).

How not to get lost in the Louvre

First of all, you need to get a floor plan. It’s not difficult, it’s given out free of charge at every entrance - the main thing is not to forget about it because of your emotions. If for some reason you were unable to get your hands on a cheat sheet, here are some tips:

The antique halls (plus the East and Egypt) mainly occupy the first floor, paintings and applied arts - the second and third.

French works of art (again mostly) are concentrated in the northern wing of the Louvre (“Richelieu wing”), Italian works, including Gioconda, are concentrated in the southern (“Deon wing”, second floor).

In addition to the three above-ground floors, there is also a fourth - basement. It is almost never visited by tourists. But in vain! After all, it is there that you can still see the preserved part of the “old Louvre” - fragments of the walls of the 12th century fortress. And not only see, but also touch them.

Don't forget that the French name floors differently than we do. The first floor in France is “re-de-chaussée” (rez-de-chaussée on the signs), the first floor is our second, etc.

“Madame, Cherche Carousel,” or how to get to the Louvre without queuing

The entrance through the glass pyramid is called central because it is not the only one. If you have purchased a ticket in advance, you can use a separate entrance: it is located opposite the pyramid in the passage to the Palais Royal - just head towards Rivoli. If you haven’t purchased tickets in advance and don’t want to waste time in line, there is still a way out: you can get to the Louvre through the lower floor shopping center Carousel du Louvre. If you get lost, just say to any passerby: “Je cherche Carousel du Louvre, sil vou ple” - they will definitely help you.

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About the inevitable

Even if you want, you almost certainly cannot avoid the Mona Lisa - all the Louvre signs persistently point the way to it. You will probably also immediately determine the location of the exhibition - by the huge crowd in the hall.

People are always crowding around the painting, and there is no point in waiting for the end of the influx - you will have to look at it this way. After several attempts at vandalism, the Mona Lisa was covered with armored glass, hence the hard-won advice - stand exactly opposite, otherwise you will admire the reflections instead of the painting. Also, don’t expect to stand in front of Gioconda for a long time - there is a guard on duty in the hall who makes sure that some visitors do not detain others. However, it is possible that Mona Lisa will want to smile at you - after all, even a second is enough for this.

Practical information

Address: Palais Royal, Musée du Louvre, 75001.

How to get there: regular buses No. 21, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 76, 95 or Open Tour tourist buses. You can also take the metro: Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre station on lines 1 or 7. You can also travel along the Seine on the Batobus pleasure boats (5 minutes walk from the pier).

Opening hours: Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday - from 9:00 to 18:00; on Wednesdays and Fridays - from 9:00 to 21:45. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.

Admission: for adults - 17 EUR, under 18 years old - free. Prices on the page are as of November 2018.

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