Everything you didn't know about the Louvre. The Louvre Museum's raw data is as follows: 15,000 visitors per day, 70% of whom are foreign tourists; 60,000 m2 of space and 35,000 artifacts, including 7,500 paintings, were on display. The museum opened in July 1793, three years after the French Revolution began, and has been expanded five times since then. The world's largest museum, with an area of 1.6 million square feet (155,000 m2) - over half the size of London's Victoria & Albert Museum - the Louvre is a treasure trove of ancient art, including some of the finest works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and other greats. It's also home to one of the greatest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Cairo. There are even some Greek and Roman pieces to be found here. In addition to its main building, the Louvre features six other museums within its walls: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Diego Rivera murals are all from France; the British Museum has some important works of art too; and the Metropolitian Museum of Art has some impressive examples of modern and contemporary art. The Louvre was built as a palace for the King of France during the 18th century. It was later transformed into a museum after Napoleon acquired it during his military campaigns.