Le Musée du Louvre

Le Musée du Louvre

The Louvre Museum was built originally in the 12th century as a fortress. But later on was used as a place to display the royal collection in 1682. Then it held an academy for 100 years before it was finally used as a museum on August 10, 1793. It was built under the rule of King Philip II. It was built to house the nation's masterpieces. It covers an area of 60.600 square meters and it's divided into 8 departments. There are about 35,000 artworks in the Louvre. The different types of artwork there is Egyptian Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, and Prints and Drawings. Some interesting facts about the Louvre Museum is that Napoleon Bonaparte named the museum after himself but was returned to its original name after his reign ended. The Nazis also used it as storeroom for stolen art during World War II. There are many famous artists connected to the museum like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, and Caravaggio.