The Louvre, located in Paris, France, has a rich history. It was originally built as a fortress by King Philip II in the late 12th century. Over time, as threats decreased, the fortress lost its purpose. In the 16th century, King Francis I decided to transform the fortress into a home for royalty. In the later part of the 18th century, the Louvre was transformed again into a museum to display France’s national treasures. The Louvre museum opened to the public in 1793.
Here are some lesser known facts about the Louvre.
Salle des États (Room of the States): This is the largest room at the Louvre and was originally built for the legislative meetings of Napoleon III. In 2019, the room was remodeled and the walls were done with a blue treatment to contrast and help show the richness of the Venetian masters work shown in this room. On the opposite wall from the Mona Lisa, hangs the largest painting in the Louvre, “The Wedding Feast at Cana”. This painting is over 6 meters high and almost 10 meters wide.
Theft of The Mona Lisa: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is hands down the most famous painting in the Louvre, and the piece that museum attendees line up by the hundreds to see. In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the museum by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman who worked at the museum. Vincenzo’s reasoning behind stealing the Mona Lisa was that the painting belonged to Italy and he wanted to eventually return it to be displayed in its rightful home. Although his story sounded noble, he was finally captured by authorities when he tried to sell the piece to an art dealer in Florence, Italy.
The Louvre Pyramid: When the glass pyramid was unveiled in 1989, it was not widely accepted. Many people thought it took away from the beauty of the property. Although, some still would prefer it be removed, the majority of people have accepted it as a piece of art in its own right. Although the glass pyramid is now a main stream symbol of the Louvre, there are still many conspiracy theories about it’s origin.
Underground Tunnels: There is a sizable network of underground tunnels under the Louvre, and around the property, that connect various parts of the museum. They were used by the royal family, and their staff, to be able to move around undetected by the public.
Napoleon III’s Apartments: You can visit the apartments of Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon III’s Minister of State, and his family, lived here from 1852–1870. From 1870, until 1989, the Ministry of Finance lived here. In 1993, the apartments opened to the public.
Ongoing Repatriation Requests: During Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquests, there were many works of art and artifacts stolen from other countries. Some of these pieces have been returned, but many still remain in France. In 2023, Italy was the latest country to reach out to the Louvre, asking them to return seven of its archaeological objects. During World War II, France was occupied by the Nazis. During this time, the Louvre was used to store art that was stolen from Jewish people. After the war, most of this art was returned, but occasional someone comes forward to request the return of pieces that have a disputed provenance.
Estimated Value: The contents of the Louvre is estimated to be worth in excess of 45 billion dollars.