The whole world knows the Louvre, but few know its history, let alone the origin of its name. To tell the truth, everyone ignores it. Several hypotheses exist as to the origin of the Louvre, but none is unanimous.
– The first hypothesis would come from Latin. The Louvre used to be Lupara in this language, more precisely “Turris lupara”. Off the root word lupanar comes from “lupus”, which means wolf. Well before the museum, there would be here a forest, land of wolves …
– The second hypothesis has Saxon origins, spoken in Northern Gaul as a result of Germanic migrations. In this language, lauer or lower mean watchtower, what was the Louvre in the 9th century during the various seats in Paris by the Vikings.
– The third hypothesis is French, and dates from the origins of the current Louvre, when Philippe-Auguste decided to build a fortress around the capital in 1190. The dungeon located along the Seine, later transformed into a royal residence, is a gigantic work, from the verb ouvrer. The work, or the work as they say today, would have given its name to the castle.
