Download The Louvre: The History and Legacy of the World's Most Famous Art Museum AudioBook Free
The Louvre. The name conjures up views of skill and beauty, and of long halls filled up with beauty and people strolling through them whispering silently among themselves about the glories they can be witnessing. Even those people who have never been to the Louvre know some of its most prized possessions, from historic statues to Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. As the world's most significant museum, the Louvre is obviously the cultural highpoint of Paris, a city that is definitely considered the cultural center of European countries. However, life is hardly ever as simple as you imagines, and the life span of the Louvre is not a different. While just about everybody is familiar with its history as an art museum, the Louvre's history goes back over 800 years, and it used to have far different purposes, both as a medieval fortress and a palatial residence for France kings. The Louvre bore witness to mass murder through the French Revolution, and there have been countless accusations of robbery and other doubtful activities since its opening. Furthermore, the museum is also a common example of beating one's swords into ploughshares, for this has been typically stocked through the conquests of war. Its first collection was placed on display by a king who wanted to promote his personal skill collection along with his subjects. Following the French Revolution, the Louvre became a place of ascetic refuge, where those burdened by daily life could go, often free, and visit some of the most beautiful pieces of art on the globe. As the power-hungry Napoleon made war over the continent, he was also always on the lookout for beautiful and interesting what to send home to his people. Later, when rioters attemptedto burn the building down, the museum portion of the palace survived, almost by wonder, and when the Nazis occupied Paris, they found that most of the things of value have been safely directed away. Ironically, when World Battle II was over, the museum became a safe house for items taken by the Germans from across the world, and a conduit to get the pieces back again to their rightful owners. Even now, in the 21st century, the museum is portion as a bridge to tranquility and understanding; its latest gallery was made to showcase Islamic skill in the expectation of combining folks from different cultures. That is, to say the least, quite a change of rate for a fortress formerly intended to combat off invaders.
