The Louvre Museum in Paris

The Louvre is a national art museum in Paris, France. The building sits on the Right Bank of the Seine.

King Philip II built the original fortress in the late 12th century. Francis I converted it into a residence in 1546.

The Académie stayed inside the Louvre building.

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with 537 paintings. Structural problems forced it to close by 1796.

Napoleon renamed the museum Musée Napoléon. His armies brought back art from Europe, Egypt, and Syria.

The collection holds approximately 500,000 objects. Around 38,000 are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square meters.

Beginning in 2012, Nintendo 3DS systems served as official audio guides. The device includes differential GPS transmitters for navigation.

The Louvre received 9.0 million visitors in 2025. It is the most-visited art museum in the world.