What to Know About the World's Most Famous Museum

Visiting the Louvre was a dream come true for our family. In addition to getting to see all the incredible works of art (including the building itself), we indulged in so much history. We learned some fun facts about the building, the kings and emperors who walked its halls, and the art and artifacts that are on display. Some of these facts are ones that we wished we had known before we arrived so that we could more fully appreciate our tour. Now, we want to share them with you to enhance your family’s visit to the Louvre.

Interesting Facts About the Louvre

• The Louvre was originally built as a protective fortress. Long before it became the world’s most famous art museum, it was designed to protect what was then the western border of Paris. It was built in the 12th century, under the direction of King Philippe II Auguste, and included a 98 foot tall keep and a moat. Its position on the right bank of the Seine River made it a perfect lookout and first line of defense for the king. It served that purpose until other defensive buildings were constructed along the outskirts of the city in the 14th century. The medieval foundations of the central keep were excavated in the 20th century and are now part of the museum’s many displays. We enjoyed this exhibit because it showed us the evolution of the Louvre in a series of charts, pictures, and pieces of the building from eras past.

Click on photo to enlarge and see descriptions.

• No one really knows the origin of its name. In the late 12th century, when construction began, Paris was much smaller and surrounded by wildlife. There was an abundance of wolves that thrived in the area. The French name for female wolves is “louves.” Many have speculated that the museum’s name may have been a nod to these wild neighbors. Equally plausible, the name may have come from the early history of its time as a defensive fortress when prisoners of war were chained in the dungeons underground. Many of these prisoners are believed to have had leprosy and the name “Louvre” may have come from the French word for leprosy, “lèpre,” but no one knows for certain.

• It was the primary residence of the royal family in the 16th and 17th centuries. Francis I demolished the original fortress and had it rebuilt as a Renaissance-style palace. It would house the kings and queens of France until 1682 when Louis XIV had the Palace of Versailles built. Following the French Revolution, Napoléon Bonaparte, the first Emperor of France, had the Louvre opened as a museum. Later, Emperor Napoléon III established apartments for himself inside the Louvre building. Located in the Richelieu Wing, visitors can tour these apartments that have been left nearly intact for 150 years.

• Francis I was responsible for starting the art collection. In addition to having the palace built, Francis I was quite an art collector. The art he accumulated during his reign still makes up a significant piece of what you’ll see to this day. He acquired works by Michelangelo and Raphael (which we’ll have to return to see). He also held pieces from his good friend Leonardo da Vinci, including the museum's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. After his death, the kings of France continued to add to the collection.

• The Grande Galerie of the Louvre was once so long that it was used for indoor fox hunts! The Grand Galerie of the Louvre was commissioned by Henry IV to connect the Tuileries Palace to the Louvre. Construction lasted 13 years and resulted in a passageway that was 460 meters long. It was so enormous that, on rainy days, miniature fox hunts were conducted there with riders on horseback traversing down the long passageway. At the time, it was the longest gallery in Europe. The length was reduced to 288 meters during a remodeling in the 1860’s.

• It is the largest museum in the world! It’s enormous! It spans over 650,000 square feet and 15 acres. If you don’t pay attention to any of the artwork, it would likely take you around 5 hours to walk the 9 miles of corridors inside the massive building. If you spent just 30 seconds admiring each piece displayed, it would take you around 200 days to see it all. That doesn’t even account for all the art and artifacts that are locked in storage inside the colossal museum.

• The Louvre contains more pieces than any other museum. There are more than 380,000 objects and 35,000 works of art spanning from 600 BC to the 21st century. It is home to some of the most important art and artifacts in the history of civilization. You’ll find world famous pieces like the Mona Lisa, but you’ll also find some exciting pieces that aren’t talked about as much. Christ Carrying the Cross was painted by Lorenzo Lotto in 1526. It is signed and dated “upside down on the wood of the Cross as if the painter intended his name to be legible to Christ alone.” We also really loved Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds by Bernardino Luini and The Young Martyr, by Paul Delaroche. Besides the paintings, there were so many sculptures that captured our attention too. The details are incredible! We particularly liked Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss by Antonio Canova and the Statue of Silenus carrying Dionysus. You’ll also find artifacts that are thousands of years old which have been discovered by archaeologists and brought to the Louvre for the world to see.

• The Galerie d’Apollon holds so much more than just the French Crown Jewels! In addition to some stunning crowns and tiaras, once worn by the kings and queens, you’ll find some beautiful jewelry, including a set that once belonged to Queen Marie Amélie (wife of King Louis Philippe I). Speaking of jewels, you’ll want to get a peek at three special historical diamonds; the “Regent,” the “Sancy,” and the beautiful pink “Hortensia” each have formerly adorned royal crowns or garments.

  Louis the XIV had a passion for hardstone vessels. He collected over 800 pieces that are carved from precious minerals including agate, amethyst, lapis, and jade. Many of these pieces were on display and quite interesting due to their unique and intricate designs. Also found on display are some whimsical pieces that were collected by the royal residents. Some of these include the Badge of the Order of the Holy Spirit, the Polish eagle, and the Badge of the Danish Order of the Elephant with the monogram of Frederick VI, king of Denmark from 1808 to 1839.

  If the Crown Jewels aren’t impressive enough, just gaze at the ceiling. In the middle of the gallery, you’ll find a 12 meter wide painting by Eugène Delacroix titled Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python.

• The Louvre is home to one of the most prestigious higher education art schools in the world! École du Louvre, which was founded in 1882, is located inside the Louvre. Here, graduate students are given the training they need to become the artists, curators, sculptors, and archaeologists of the future.

• The Louvre, and all of its contents have a staggering worth! The building itself is worth $10.5 billion! Its artworks and objects likely have a value of at least $35 billion! Keep in mind that these are conservative estimates. Artwork is a commodity that demands whatever the highest bidder is willing to pay. The Mona Lisa, alone, was assessed at $100 million in 1962 which would make it worth around $860 million today.

• The Mona Lisa’s popularity and worth were driven sky high by a thief! The Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, is the world’s most famous piece of art. It was stolen from the Louvre by an employee in 1911 and recovered two years later. The theft contributed greatly to its popularity. Today, it is covered with bullet-proof glass to protect it from being defaced. Crowds of visitors will stand in line for well over an hour to get a brief front-row view and photo opportunity with her.

• An astonishing 80% of Louvre visitors see the Mona Lisa and then leave! According to the Louvre’s former director, it is estimated that 80% of visitors are only interested in seeing the Mona Lisa and often leave after accomplishing that mission. We highly recommend that you stick around and explore. Yes, it’s exciting to see this famous work of art in person. However, in our humble opinion, there are so many even better things to see than the Mona Lisa!

• Napoléon Bonaparte left his mark on the Louvre. Though the museum had closed in 1796 due to structural issues, Napoléon had it reopened in 1801 and renamed Musée Napoléon. Many of the pieces he displayed had been plundered from nations and territories he conquered. For a while, Napoléon had the Mona Lisa removed from the museum so he could hang it in his bedroom. As many as 5,000 pieces were returned to their home countries after he was defeated in 1815. Many were kept by France, however, including a number of the Louvre’s Egyptian antiquities collection. Napoléon is also responsible for the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel which is not to be confused with the much larger and more iconic Arc de Triomphe. The smaller one often gets lost in the splendor of the Louvre and Tuileries Garden where it is located.

• The Louvre was the site of one of the most successful evacuations in history! When the threat of World War II became an escalating concern, Jacques Jaujard, then Director of National Museums, devised a plan to evacuate the Louvre’s contents and hide each piece in various châteaux and homes throughout the French countryside. This was no small feat! Some of the paintings are gargantuan and some sculptures weighed several tons. His mission took years to plan and execute and even the French government was mostly in the dark about where each priceless piece was hidden (the Mona Lisa was moved no less than 5 times). When Hitler overtook Paris and arrived at the Louvre, he found the museum almost completely empty. All the paintings had been removed as well as thousands of statues and other artifacts. Those that were left behind, including a statue of Artemis, were covered in burlap and were not the most priceless pieces that Hitler had hoped to find. At the end of the war, every single piece was returned to the Louvre. While the Nazis were brilliant at seeking out and seizing priceless art from museums and private collectors (mostly Jewish families) throughout France and other countries, they never found a single item that had been evacuated from the Louvre. To this day, the Louvre is still working to return artwork that was plundered by the Nazis from other countries and collectors to the rightful owners. To read an article that gives more information and pictures of those pieces click this link.

Touring the Louvre for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. There are so many things we wish we’d have known before our visit. You can read about our own experience at the Louvre in our post titled Visit to the Louvre. If you plan to visit with your kids, you’ll definitely want to read next week’s post - Tips for Visiting the Louvre with Kids. We’ll be sharing lots of helpful hints that will make your visit much more enjoyable for both you and your kids. Have you been to the Louvre? Are there any facts we missed? We’d love to hear from you about your own Uncommon Family Adventures!