The Louvre or the Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre) is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 9.7 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II.