While many words describe the Louvre Museum, there is one it will never let you forget: Grand. From the second it enters your view; the massive complex elegantly shouts its importance at you. Grand statues line the wall between grand windows in formation for nearly a kilometer. When entering from the side, a brief glimpse of the famed glass pyramid juts out in contrast to the stone lobby proceeding it. The courtyard housing this monument seen so often in postcards and pop-culture seemed impossibly large to be surrounded by so much historic value. And yet, not a bleak moment would ensue.
All too many people seem to visit The Louvre for the same sole reason. The Mona Lisa. Not to be mistaken, the stupor induced by viewing the original version of the most reproduced image in human history is invaluable. Even as a less that avid supporter of The Renaissance Era, the surrounding works had historic value and artistic essence that were impossible to pass by. The events behind each painting hold an almost unbearable weight on your shoulders. However, you would be doing yourself a disservice by spending the majority of their day solely in this breathtaking, yet ultimately brief wing of the museum.
The sheer size of the collection held by The Louvre is practically unfathomable until you spend an hour perplexed by creativity through all walks of life, only to find out you’ve only seen a small fraction of all they have to offer. It is difficult to tell the more impressive trait held by their collection, the physical size of it or the eons throughout history that it spans. Mesopotamian statues and Egyptian hieroglyphic tablets mingle with works of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. Varying temporary exhibitions bring modern perspectives to the table, expanding the museum’s years of collection to the limit of modern and ancient human civilization.
One exhibit presented by the monumental artistic compound that all would be misfortunate to miss – a hidden “must-see” so to speak – would assuredly be the numerous recreations of Napoleon III’s various apartments throughout his reign. All shapes and sizes of illustrious drawing rooms and dining halls spanned as far as you could shout. Every object in each chamber seems curated down to the molecule to represent its initial position and purpose. Brilliantly crafter chandeliers and candelabras lined the ceiling and walls. Each separate room was a from a vivid location stayed in by the benevolent monarch, displaying unique characteristics of each locale and current events of the time. You may not feel just as Napoleon III did, but his living quarters’ power and grandiose provide an unforgettable feeling.
Almost, if not on par, with the paintings and pieces of art are the halls and corridors that hold them. Practically every gallery holding artwork is strewn with astonishing architecture and ceilings covered in paintings just as rich in history as the pieces beneath them. Golden columns and velvet wallpaper create a sense of elegance unmatched by anything short of The Vatican. Simply showing the world’s largest collection of artwork would not be enough. The Musée de Louvre must amaze with every nook and cranny.
In Paris, every street, every alley, every café holds an incredibly valuable history. To even ponder the historical figures that could have possibly stood in the same place as you at any moment can be incredibly astounding, not to mention the millions, potentially billions, of souls that have viewed Paris with the same outside perspective as you. Culture flows more plentiful than water on the streets surrounding you. Countless monuments represent countless heroes and stories. Almost every street corner is dedicated a bronze statue of any sort of prominent historical figure. It is impossible not to fall into brief thought while viewing each one after the last, imagining how things were back then and how crucial that figure was in certain events. The Louvre Museum stands as an echo of the unbelievably rich culture held by the city it resides in.
