Paris (AFP)

The Louvre welcomed 10,000 visitors a day in July, four times less than usual that month, a level however in line with the museum's forecasts which highlights the success of its

200,000 visitors in all were able to walk quietly through the rooms of the largest museum in the world in July, without suffering from the usual congestion in front of iconic paintings. More than half were French. And, in the absence of the Americans and Asians, who normally form the big battalions, the Europeans responded (Germans, Dutch, Belgians…).

If the museum, which reopened on July 6 after more than three months of closure, saw its attendance drop as expected, the level recorded in July corresponds to the maximum of its forecasts: the management was counting on 4,000 to 10,000 visitors per day this summer. .

And several of the museum's offers are working particularly well, especially with the Ile-de-France public, underlines the Louvre.

Thus, 12,500 visitors took part in the "mini-discovery" tours. 20 minutes, free and without reservation, they are offered in French and English. A mediator is stationed in eight places of the huge museum and answers questions. The themes: from a "stopover in ancient Egypt" to "Napoleon", a dive into the intimacy of the emperors and the splendor of their palaces ...

The "learning holidays" are also a success. A dedicated program of free guided tours, in groups, and led by guide-lecturers from the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) is aimed at young people welcomed by schools of the "Open School" system of the academies of Paris, Versailles and Créteil, but also to residents of the Paris region and to users of institutions in the social and medico-social sector.

These one-hour tours allow them to discover the main masterpieces. Nearly 210 groups have already booked their visit. More than 1,300 visitors have been welcomed since July 8.

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