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This
museum is the largest palace in the world and houses a collection of
over 208,000 works of art. French kings lived on this site from
the 13th century but most of the present palace was built by
Napoleon. He converted it into a museum after the Revolution.
Inside are treasures not to be believed. The Louvre is divided
into three sections: DENON, SULLY, and RICHELIEU, and each of its 3
floors is color-coded to help guide you through. Entry to the
Louvre is through a new glass pyramid in the central courtyard.
This pyramid takes one two floors below ground level where you purchase
tickets. During the construction of the pyramid, remnants of a
medieval palace with a moat were uncovered and these remnants have been
incorporated into the new design on the entry level. In addition,
the entire museum is being renovated and the collections will be shifted
around until completion. On this entry level one will find a huge
underground mall plus a very good food court. This section is
accessible from the museum, or before/after hours, from an entrance on
Rue de Rivoli. The main attractions for tourists are WINGED
VICTORY, a statue from 2 centuries before the birth of Christ and The
MONA LISA protected behind bulletproof glass. In the same gallery
with Mona Lisa are additional paintings by Da Vinci, as well as
masterpieces by Titian and Raphael. Nearby galleries contain a
superb collection of paintings by Rembrandt. In the Greek
Antiquities galleries on the ground floor stands VENUS DE MILO.
Also on the ground floor in another wing are 2 Michelangelo SLAVES.
We entered, picked up a free self-guide map, and rushed directly
upstairs to see “Mona Lisa” before the crowds and tour groups made
their way there. By doing this we avoided most of the heavy crowds
around the most famous works of art. We then went back down to the
first floor after the tour groups had departed.
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