The Louvre has a long history of artistic and historic conservation. The building was previously a royal palace and holds some of the world's most famous works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo. Located in the centre of the city of Paris, between the Rive Droite of the Seine and the rue de Rivoli in the 1ère arrondissement.

It is named for the large central wholesale marketplace, which was demolished in 1971, to be replaced with an underground modern shopping precinct, the Forum des Halles. It is notable in that the open air center area is below street level, like a pit and contains sculpture, fountains, and mosaics. This area is often open until late at night, using the common areas for displays and performances that keep the shoppers coming.

Palais Royal palace and garden located near the Ier arrondissement of Paris. Opposite the north wing of the Louvre, its famous forecourt (cour d'honneur) screened with columns faces the Place du Palais-Royal. Today it houses the Conseil d'État, the Constitutional Council, and the Ministry of Culture.