The Louvre

The Louvre is one of the great museums of the world This section is about the Louvre itself rather then it's collections

The Louvre has two glass 'pyramids' This is the inside view of the main one seen in the picture above this one

This is the second 'inverted' pyramid which brings light into the lower complex

The Louvre began life as a fortress in the 12th century Later it became the Royal residence and then the musuem in 1793

The entire complex is absolutely huge with two long wings like this one and a central area

Another view of the glass pyramid in the central area surrounded by the former palace

Here we can see how the palace complex surrounds the central area It takes at least 2 days to make a quick go through the Lourve complex

Over it all flags the flag of France

Looking from one wing across to the next

The view along the wings outwards In the background is the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel Built by Napolean in 1808 modelled on the Arc of Constantine in Rome

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is topped by a statue of 4 hourses Initially these horses were stolen from St Marks in Venice and returned after WW2 Of course Venice itself had stolen them from Constantinople in times past

A close up of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel from the back

A typical room in the Lourve the museum itself is like a museum

In the paintings area is this huge canvas of Napoleans Coronation

This room houses sculptures from more modern times I appreciate the room more then the sculptures :)

Another view of the glass pyramid which was only built recently in 1989

A typical spring day at the Louvre