Paris Museums: The Louvre

The Louvre was the first museum we visited in Paris. I was unprepared for the sheer magnitude of this place! The Louvre holds over 300,000 works with 35,000 of them on display. The buildings comprise about 60,000 square metres and, as if that's not enough, there are lots of ups and downs involving sets of stairs to get from one area to another. Scott and I had allowed an afternoon to explore this museum and, while we really enjoyed our visit, we definitely need to go back!
In the 12th century Philip Agustus wanted to protect Paris, so he constructed a fortress and towers known as Lupara. Two centuries later Charles V made it his palace. Enhanced by successive kings, the Louvre, as it came to be called, was transformed into a royal palace. It was opened as a museum in 1793.

One of the painted ceilings in the Louvre.

The Mona Lisa.
Like many, we were surprised at how small
this painting actually is.
When the original museum opened in 1793
this painting was among those on exhibit.

Scott really enjoyed this painting.

One of the amazing pieces on exhibit.

The Louvre is not without controversy. Within it's holdings are many pieces confiscated by Napoleon I, as well as by the Nazi's during WWII. The Louvre does participate in arbitration sessions with UNESCO involving the return of pieces to their original owners.