What is the Louvre?published at 11:15 BST
11:15 BST
Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images
Located in Paris, the Louvre is the largest museum in the world with nearly 73,000 square metres of exhibition space – more than the size of ten football pitches.
It was originally built in 1546 as a palace for the French royal family. King Francis I, its first resident, was a lover of art and intended the Louvre to showcase his collection.
Subsequent kings greatly expanded the crown’s art holdings, with Louis XIV even acquiring the art collection of English King Charles I, after his execution in the English Civil War.
The collection remained mainly private until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, and in 1793 the Louvre opened as a public art gallery.
Today, the Louvre displays more than 35,000 works of art – including the famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci – and attracts around 30,000 daily visitors.