Artwork and an ornate ceiling rise above windows in one of the rooms in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
The museum building was originally constructed as a fortress in the late 12th to 13th century. After the fortress
lost its defensive function it was converted in 1546 into the main residence of the French Kings. During the late 1700s
the building was decreed to be used as a museum. More photos from France are in my Cities, places gallery.