Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
Marine science museum and aquarium built into the cliff face of the Rock of Monaco.
Prince Albert I of Monaco, an oceanographer who led some thirty scientific campaigns, founded the museum to house the specimens and instruments gathered on his voyages. Work began in 1899 and the building was inaugurated on 29 March 1910. Paul Delefortrie designed it to rise about eighty-five metres straight from the sea on the southern flank of the Rock, its monumental stone front facing the Mediterranean. Jacques Cousteau directed the institution from 1957 to 1988.
The lower floors hold the aquariums, where around six thousand specimens are kept in Mediterranean and tropical tanks, among them a large lagoon devoted to reef sharks and a living coral reef. Upstairs the Whale Room displays skeletons of large cetaceans alongside Albert I's laboratory equipment and scientific instruments. The Sea Turtle Odyssey occupies a converted terrace and combines a rehabilitation pool with displays on turtle conservation. Contemporary art installations are regularly staged within the historic galleries.
Highlights
- Monumental stone facade rising from the sea on the Rock of Monaco
- Shark lagoon and living coral reef among the aquarium tanks
- Whale Room with cetacean skeletons and Albert I's instruments
- Sea Turtle Odyssey rehabilitation area on the roof terrace
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