Ages ago, just outside of what was then the city of Paris, a fortress was built to protect Europe’s largest dominion. This fortress was known as the Louvre. It stood just west of the infant city on the banks of the Seine river. The year was 1190. Over the centuries the original design changed drastically and the intended purpose evolved into what many consider to be the world’s greatest museum. Opening day as a museum came on August 10th 1793 not too long before the French Revolution. During Napoleon’s reign in France many of his conquests brought priceless works of art to the Louvre. Many were returned after his defeat, but some remain. The most famous pieces housed in this grand setting are the “Venus de Milo,” the “Goddess of Victory (Nike)” and the “Mona Lisa” by da Vinci. There are thousands upon tens of thousands of precious antiquities in the Louvre and only about thirty percent are on display. This is not uncommon for most behemoth collections in the world. The permanent collection occupies approximately 650,000 square feet of space, so be prepared to spend quite a bit a time if you want to see everything on display (and bring good walking shoes).

The pictures below:

The first is taken from the upper floor of the museum looking out across the entrance which is underground beneath the glass pyramid. The second is at night when the Louvre is lit up to show its exterior beauty to Paris.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 32mm f/13 ISO 100 1/60sec

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300m f/3.5-5.6 @ 28mm f/13 ISO 100 9 image HDR