Originally built in 1190 as a fortress, and then turned into a Royal Palace in the 16th century, the Louvre did not officially open as a museum until the French Monarchy moved to the Palace of Versailles in 1793. When the Louvre museum was first opened to the public, it held only 573 paintings. Now, the largest museum in the world, the museum holds 380,000 pieces in total. The museum is so big that it is impossible to see everything the museum has to offer in one day.
Location: Paris, France
Photo credit: Gavin James
