Louvre Museum

The camera stands low between the triangular pools on the west side of the pyramid, close enough to the water that the stone lip of the basin runs across the bottom of the view. At this hour the pyramid is not reflecting anything, it is emitting: the lobby below is lit and the whole glass structure reads as a lantern, gold against a sky still holding its blue. Turn right round and one of the small pyramids is directly behind the tripod, near enough to touch, glowing the same colour from its own skylight. Everything past it is the palace, and the thing the panorama shows that a photograph of the pyramid cannot is that the courtyard is closed - the Denon, Sully and Richelieu wings are there the whole way round, floodlit, with their pavilions and mansard roofs, so the pyramid is standing in a stone room rather than in open ground.

The Louvre Museum, or the Musée du Louvre, as it is known in French, is the largest palace and museum in the world. Situated in the center of Paris France, it occupies the beautiful Louvre Palace. This building was originally built as a fortress in the 12th century and served as a royal palace until 1682, which was when Louis XIV moved to Versailles and took the government along with him. An almost rectangular structure, the Louvre wraps around a central square known as the Cour Napoléon. It is in this square that you will find the renowned glass pyramid that was designed by I.M. Pei and inaugurated in 1988. Rather controversial at first, the Louvre Pyramid has become widely accepted over time and is now considered to be a major Paris landmark in and of itself. Complementing the main Louvre Pyramid are some similar pyramids that are much smaller and the Inverted Pyramid, which serves as a skylight for the underground shopping complex that is in front of the Louvre Museum. Of course, no discussion about the Louvre would be complete without going into detail about what you'll find inside.

Major Attractions After examining the Cour Napoléon square and its resident Louvre Pyramid, visitors to the Louvre Museum are ready to go inside for a look around. The two most famous works that are housed inside this grand institution are the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. Probably the most well known painting in the world, the Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait of a woman that was painted by none other than the famous Italian Renaissance polymath - Leonardo da Vinci. According to the Louvre Museum, da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa between the years of 1503 and 1506, though it is widely considered to be difficult to confirm the exact dates. Popular consensus also has it that the woman who served as the sitter for the Mona Lisa was Lisa del Giocondo, who hailed from the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany and married a wealthy Florentine silk merchant who went by the name of Francesco del Giocondo. As for the Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite of Milos, as it is also known, it is a statue that ranks among the most famous sculptures to have come out of ancient Greece. The armless statue was created sometime around 100 BC and is believed to depict the Greek goddess of love and beauty - Aphrodite. Aphrodite was known as Venus to the Romans. The artist who created Venus de Milo is believed to have been Alexandros of Antioch.

Interior and Architecture There is so much to take in at the Louvre Museum in Paris that it can be difficult to know where to start and where to end. The museum displays are divided into no less than eight different departments. Combined, these departments contain somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 works, including Greek and Roman antiquities, northern European and French paintings, decorative arts, sculpture, and Oriental antiquities. While the main focus of the Louvre Museum is centuries-old masterworks, it also has displays that are dedicated to contemporary art. It isn't just the paintings, sculptures and other works of art that are of interest, however. The architecture of the Louvre Museum is art in and of itself. Because of its beauty, it isn't difficult to believe that this was once a royal palace. It is important to note that since the structure was altered numerous times over the centuries, it features a blend of architectural styles. Also worth noting is that the uniform facades that were constructed in the 1500s are generally credited with establishing the Parisian Renaissance style.

Hotels Near the Louvre Because of the Louvre Museum's central location in Paris, there are plenty of hotels to choose from that are close by. Of course, some hotels are closer than others. Among those that offer the most in the way of proximity is the Hotel Louvre Paris - A Hyatt Hotel (pictured). Another good lodging bet in the area is the Grand Hotel du Palais Royal. Both of these hotels are quite luxurious and can be an excellent fit for anyone who is looking to enjoy style and comfort during their Paris visits.