Happy birthday to the Louvre Museum, which is 225 years old today!

In 1793 it opened its doors as the Museum of Arts

On this day in 1793, it opened its doors to the public for the very first time as the Museum of Arts. The Louvre or the Louvre Museum is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in  the city's 1^st arrondissement (district or ward). Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square metres (782,910 square feet). In 2017, the Louvre was the world`s most visited art museum, receiving 8.1 million visitors.

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to the urban expansion of the city, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function and, in 1546, was converted by Francis I  into the main residence of the French Kings. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV  chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sclupture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.

Source: louvre.fr