The Replica
The second Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi is set to be opened in late 2016 (The original year was 2012 which was pushed to late 2014).
Haunted Side
Belief in ghost is a personal choice. Although, believe it or not, the museum is said to be haunted by a mummy named Belphegor at night. The nearby Tuileries Garden are believed to be haunted too.
Architectural Line
The Axe historique is a 5km architectural line of monuments running through central Paris to the west – the Louvre is nucleus, in the middle of the Arc de Triomphe, the Grand Arche of La Defense and the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde.
2014
In this year, the museum welcomed over 9.3 million visitors – the most people it has ever welcomed since its opening.
Mona Controversy
The official word from the Louvre, is that the woman in the painting is Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk merchant. Other experts dispute this claim, and think that Lisa Gherardini was perhaps confused with Lise del Giocondo, who was actually the sister-in-law of Lisa Gherardini. A newer theory suggests the woman in the painting is Pacifica Brandano, the mistress of Giuliano de’ Medici who bore a son, who became Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici. Which one do you believe?
