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The Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre), located in Paris, is the world's most visited art museum, a historic monument, and a national museum of France. It is a central landmark, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighbourhood). Nearly 35,000 pieces from the 6th millennium BCE to the 19th century CE are exhibited over an area of 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres). The museum, in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre), began as a fortress built in the 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. Over time, the Louvre progressed into a palace and place to display art. In 1674, Louis XIV chose Versailles for his household, which allowed the royal collection to be displayed in the Louvre. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces. The museum opened on 10 August 1793, showcasing 537 paintings; the core of the collection was primarily drawn from confiscated church and royal property. Because of structural problems, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon when the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After his defeat at Waterloo, many works seized by Napoleon's armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was augmented during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic, except during the two World Wars. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Paintings; Decorative Arts; Islamic Art; Near Eastern Antiquities; Prints and Drawings; Sculpture; and Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.
The Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre), located in Paris, is the world's most visited art museum, a historic monument, and a national museum of France. It is a central landmark, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighbourhood). Nearly 35,000 pieces from the 6th millennium BCE to the 19th century CE are exhibited over an area of 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres). The museum, in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre), began as a fortress built in the 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. Over time, the Louvre progressed into a palace and place to display art. In 1674, Louis XIV chose Versailles for his household, which allowed the royal collection to be displayed in the Louvre. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces. The museum opened on 10 August 1793, showcasing 537 paintings; the core of the collection was primarily drawn from confiscated church and royal property. Because of structural problems, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon when the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After his defeat at Waterloo, many works seized by Napoleon's armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was augmented during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic, except during the two World Wars. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Paintings; Decorative Arts; Islamic Art; Near Eastern Antiquities; Prints and Drawings; Sculpture; and Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.
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