Louvre
The Louvre is one of the largest, oldest, and most visited museums in the world. Initially, it was built as a fortress in 1190 by King Philippe-Auguste. The building was also previously a royal palace, housing four centuries of French kings. It is famous for holding several of the world's most prestigious works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Madonna of the Rocks, Alexsandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo, and a glass pyramid covering the part of the new entrance designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, inaugurated in 1989.

Fun Facts

• The Louvre is heavily featured in Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code and in the 2006 film adaptation. The museum is where the homicide crime scene takes place. The location is also the laying and burial ground of Mary Magdalene in the novel and film.


• The Da Vinci Code was filmed entirely on location. At first, director Ron Howard was unable to get permission to film in the Louvre. He was denied access to Westminster Abbey as well, but former French President, Jacques Chirac, later granted Howard clearance.

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Louvre