Paris seen from the Louvre reveals one of the French capital’s most impressive perspectives: the Historical Axis of Paris stretching westwards from the palace towards the Tuileries Garden, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe and La Défense.
When I visited the Louvre one Saturday morning with my then two-year-old daughter, Aimée, I had not been inside the museum for many years.
It seemed only polite to call in and say bonjour to the Mona Lisa. Unfortunately, several hundred other visitors had apparently had the same idea, and she was far too busy to return my greeting.
Never mind. I had not come primarily to admire her enigmatic smile, nor to linger before the Louvre’s most famous paintings and sculptures.
I had another purpose: to photograph the Historical Axis of Paris from the museum’s windows and discover how this remarkable line of monuments appears from the heart of the Louvre itself.
The Historical Axis of Paris
The Historical Axis, on the Right Bank of Paris, is one of our favourite spots in the French capital… It is such an interesting urban feature that we choose to include it in our Paris Walking Tours list.
The Historical Axis, also known in French as “Axe Historique”, “Voie Triomphale” or “Voie Royale”, is orientated at a 26° angle, following the course of the Sun from its rising in the East to its setting in the West.
From its starting point in the Cour Napoléon in the Louvre, it crosses a number of squares, streets, gardens, bridges and monuments.
More than just a series of monuments placed along the axis, it seems that a complex symbolism was at work in the mind of the successive urban planners.
We took a selection of photos of the Axis from various viewing points in the Louvre: Levels 1 and 2 of the Richelieu and Sully wings.
Paris seen from the Louvre – the Sully Wing
Paris seen from the Louvre – the Richelieu Wing
And finally, once we got out, there was a grand view of the Historical Axis from the equestrian statue of Louis XIV (Cour Napoléon)… We couldn’t help but post this one too:
