Visit the Louvre

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As the world's most famous art museum, the Louvre sees 7.5 million visitors each year and has a staff of 2,000. Once a royal palace, the Louvre lies at the center of Paris and was opened to the public in 1793 during the French Revolution. The museum holds the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Besides art, the Louvre has many exhibits on architecture, history and archealogy.

Since many works at the Louvre are in storage, a new extension is under construction north of Paris in the town of Lens. The new facility will attract 500,000 visitors each year and will house 500-600 pieces. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009 and is reported to cost $158 million dollars.

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