Fortress, Palace, Museum. Understanding the history and significance of the Louvre in 2 hours
About this experience
Not visiting the Louvre during a trip to Paris would be an unforgivable omission. The Louvre is the prestigious brand of the largest and most visited art museum in the world. The Louvre is the richest collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture, jewelry, tableware, wallpapers, and so on. How not to get lost in this sea of beautiful exhibits? How to understand the Louvre in two hours? With my tour! On it, you will learn the history of the construction and evolution of the Louvre from a fortress to a museum, about its outstanding inhabitants and great masterpieces.
What to expect
- History and evolution of the Louvre. Moving through the museum halls, you will see the Louvre in its various guises: the Louvre - a fortress, the Louvre - a palace in medieval Paris, the Louvre of the Valois kings, the Louvre of the Sun King. I will tell you what happened to the Louvre during the Revolution and how the Louvre changed under Napoleon Bonaparte. We will trace the important transformations that occurred at the Louvre during the Second Empire under Napoleon III. We will also talk about the destruction of the royal and imperial residence at the Tuileries and the construction of the glass pyramid during the time of Mitterrand.
- Louvre's masterpieces. I will show you the best treasures of the museum, including the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa, the raft of the Medusa by Gericault, Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix, The Slaves by Michelangelo, Cupid and Psyche by Canova… I will tell you about their discoveries or acquisitions and recall interesting stories associated with their owners.
- Inhabitants of the Louvre. Be assured that in every hall of the Louvre, there is its historical context, and besides the stories about the museum exhibits, engaging stories await you about the inhabitants of the Louvre - the royal family or the artists who worked in its workshops.
- The oldest hall of the Louvre. In the Carriage Room, you will learn about the Valois dynasty kings. For example, Francis I, a royal patron and collector, began the restructuring of the medieval Louvre in the mid-16th century. Catherine de Medici organized grand balls here for engagements, coronations, weddings, and other important family events. I will tell you how the hall looked before and about its interesting exhibits now.
The Louvre is a time machine that will take you through 8 centuries of its history and with my help will allow you to understand its development, grasp the change of its inhabitants, and comprehend the significance of great exhibits.
Organizational details
- The price of the tour does not include the museum ticket price - 17 euros. Admission is free for children under 18.
- For groups of 5 or more people, the museum requires the booking of radio devices and headphones.
- The guide reserves a time slot for conducting the tour in the palace, pays for the entrance tickets and radio devices.
- The cost of the tour minus the prepayment + the cost of tickets and renting radio devices is reimbursed to the guide by the clients after the tour.
