The Louvre Museum is the largest national museum of France. It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st neighborhood. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square meters.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being confiscated church and royal property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. 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 departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; and Prints and Drawings.
