The Louvre

The Louvre is a famous museum on the bank of the river Seine in central Paris. Its extensive collection of art and historic artefacts includes hundreds of important paintings, works on paper, sculpture and antiquities, not least Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa which has helped it become one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions.

The building known as The Louvre Palace was originally founded as a medieval fortress and was converted into a Renaissance style residence by the French King Francis I in the mid 16^th century. Its beginnings as a gallery date back to Louis XIV using the Louvre as the main location to display the royal collection, following his decision to move the Royal court to Versailles.