The Louvre

art museum · Paris · famous paintings · history

Home to the Mona Lisa. The Louvre houses one of the most famous paintings in the world, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. People travel from all over the globe just to see the mysterious smile on her face.

Started as a fortress. The Louvre wasn't always a museum. It began as a medieval fortress built in the late 1200s to protect Paris, and you can still see parts of the old fortress walls in the basement today.

Palace of French kings. In 1546, King Francis I turned the fortress into his royal home, and the French kings lived there for hundreds of years before it became a public museum.

Incredible sculptures inside. Along with paintings, the Louvre holds amazing ancient sculptures like the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory, which are masterpieces from ancient Greece and Rome.

Located by the Seine River. The museum sits on the Right Bank of the Seine River in Paris's 1st district, making it one of the most important buildings in the heart of the city.