Louvre
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
The Louvre is a museum in Paris, which attracts millions of visitors every year because of its art collection.
The most famous picture in the Louvre is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, but there are also paintings by Renoir, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Titian.
There are also statues inside the Louvre. The most famous statues are the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
[change] History of the Louvre
A castle called the Castle of the Louvre used to be where the museum is. It was built by Philip II of France. The castle was used as a fortress to defend Paris against the Vikings. Charles V, King of France turned the castle into a palace. However, Francis I, King of France, knocked it down and built a new palace.
Henry IV, King of France added the Grande Galerie to the Louvre. The Grande Galerie is more than a quarter mile long and one hundred feet wide. The Grande Galerie was built along the River Seine. It was the longest building in the world.
[change] Other websites
- Free photos of Louvre
- Official Louvre website (Requires Flash)
- Extensive Photo Gallery from The Louvre — Photos of almost all the sculpture, many of the paintings and Objects d'Art
- Fullscreen Virtual Tour by Virtualsweden
- History of the Louvre
- Excerpt of Michael T. Cannell's book on I.M. Pei — discusses controversy over Pei's pyramid.
- Antiquities of the Louvre
- 200 photographs from a one-day visit
- Official École du Louvre website (Requires Flash)
