Louisville is the largest city in the US state of Kentucky. It originated as a settlement at the falls of the Ohio River, which at this point was the only barrier to free river navigation in the region. Settlement began on Corn Island in the river in 1778, and two years later it formally became a city named Louisville, named after King Louis XVI of France.

Louisville grew rapidly as a transit point for boats passing the falls, and by 1828 the population had risen to 7,000. During the American Civil War, Louisville avoided major destruction, but a tornado razed the city center in 1890.

During World War I, Louisville became home to a large military training camp, and in 1929 a hydroelectric plant and locks opened, making navigation through the Ohio River possible. The water could not be controlled in 1937, however, when the Ohio River overflowed its banks and flooded most of downtown Louisville, prompting major evacuations.

Today, Louisville is a city with several sights and interesting museums, and a city where you can enjoy some nice walks downtown and along the Ohio River. For example, you can start at the Louisville City Hall, which was completed in 1873. Before the opening of the city hall, the city government used rooms in the city’s courthouses for their meetings. The city hall’s characteristic bell tower was completed as the last part of the building in 1876.

Across from City Hall is Louisville Metro Hall, which houses the city’s mayor’s office, among other things. The neoclassical building was built 1836-1860 as the city’s courthouse, and between the town hall and the Metro Hall stands a statue of Louis XVI. The statue was produced in 1829 by Achille-Joseph Valois and originally unveiled in Montpellier, France. It came to Louisville as a gift in 1966.

From Louisville City Hall, walk a few blocks north to the Ohio River. On the way, you pass The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts and the Muhammad Ali Center, which is a museum and cultural center dedicated to the boxer Muhammad Ali. Ali came from Louisville, and together with his wife Lonnie Ali, he founded the center in 2005.

You can go for a nice walk along the Ohio River using the Louisville Riverwalk, which leads to Waterfront Park, from where there is a good view to the state of Indiana on the opposite bank and to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge from 1963. Continuing east, you will arrive at the Big Four Bridge, a railway bridge from 1895. The last train crossed the Big Four Bridge in 1968, and since 2014 the bridge has been open to pedestrians.

Between downtown and the Ohio River, you can also visit several interesting museums. The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory chronicles the history of the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat and features other exhibits as well. Nearby is the Frazier History Museum, where you can learn more about the history of the state of Kentucky. A little south of the city is the Kentucky Derby Museum about the city’s famous horse race and the Colonel Sanders Museum, which tells about the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.