France - Paris, Louvre Palace and Museum

Paris

Paris et ses merveilles .. (Paris and its wonders ..)

Le Palais du Louvre (The Louvre Palace)
2013

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The Louvre Palace, on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, is a former royal palace. Its origins date back to the medieval period, and its present structure has evolved in stages since the 16th century. It was the actual seat of power in France until Louis XIV moved to Versailles in 1682, bringing the government with him. The Louvre remained the nominal, or formal, seat of government until the end of the Ancien Régime in 1789. Since then it has housed the celebrated Musée du Louvre as well as various government departments.

The Musée du Louvre (in English, the Louvre Museum or simply The Louvre) is one of the world's largest museums, and a historic monument.  Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st  century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum.