Louvre Museum
卢浮宫

Louvre, national art museum of France, is located in Paris, on the right bank of the Seine River. It is one of the largest palaces in the world, built on the site of a 13th-century fortress. The building of the Louvre was begun in 1546 in the reign of Francis I. According to the plans of the French architect Pierre Lescot, additions were made to the structure during the reigns of almost every subsequent French monarch. By the mid-19th century，the vast was completed, covering more than fourty-eight acres. It is a masterpiece of architectural design and sculptural adornment.
卢浮宫是法国国家艺术博物馆，位于巴黎塞纳河右岸，是世界上最恢宏的宫殿之一。卢浮宫始建于1546年弗朗西斯一世在位时期，选址于13世纪一座堡垒的旧址之上。据法国建筑师皮埃尔·莱斯科的修建计划所记载，自弗郎西斯一世以后，每一位法国君主都对卢浮宫进行了扩建。直到19世纪中叶，这座规模宏大、结构复杂的宫殿才修建完毕，历时几个世纪，占地面积达48公顷。它既是建筑设计领域的杰出作品，又是雕刻装饰领域的大手笔。

The nucleus of the Louvre collections is Italian Renaissance paintings, among which some are made by Leonardo da Vinci. Among its greatest treasures are two of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world, the Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo , and Da Vinci's famous portrait, Mona Lisa . The Louvre also holds works by the other Italian masters Raphael and Titian and paintings by some northern artists.
意大利文艺复兴时期的绘画是整座卢浮宫藏品的核心部分，其中包括列奥纳多·达·芬奇的作品。卢浮宫的典藏中，最珍贵的当数雕塑作品“胜利女神”和“米洛斯的维纳斯”，还有达·芬奇举世闻名的画像《蒙娜丽莎》。卢浮宫还收藏了其他意大利艺术大师的作品，包括拉斐尔、提香以及一些北方艺术家的作品。

Protection of all the Louvre's priceless masterpieces during the two world wars was effected by their removal to secret depositories outside Paris. Now it is the world's most visited museum, averaging 15,000 visitors per day, 65% of whom are foreign tourists.
两次世界大战期间，这些艺术珍品被运送至巴黎市郊的秘密贮藏地以确保这些人类文明的瑰宝免遭战火摧残。现在，卢浮宫是世界上游客最多的博物馆，平均每天游客量达15 000人，其中65%来自国外。