16 July 2007

Musée Oceanographique


This is the back of the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium. I'll show you a photograph of the front another day. Founded by Prince Albert 1, it was inaugurated in 1910. This is an amazing museum of marine sciences and not to be missed if you are visiting Monaco. The building rises majestically from the sea to a height of 279 feet and took 11 years to build, using 100,000 tons of stone from La Turbie, a village high above Monte Carlo. Part of the museum is dedicated to Albert 1, who was a major navigator. Here you'll find his laboratory ships and collections of marine fauna including a skeleton from a 66-foot whale.

In the basement, you will find the world-famous aquarium with its extraordinary show of marine flora and fauna. With 4,000 species of fish and over 200 families of invertebrates, the aquarium is now an authority on the presentation of the Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystem.

5 comments:

  1. I'm familiar with this. It is an amazing building. Lovely angle.

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  2. They had a story about Prince Albert 1 and his passionate and adventurous life on CNN last month. I didn't know he was so active.

    And when I saw your photo I immediately remembered my childhood writer hero Jules Verne :) This is almost like from his book (at least as I imagined it :) Thanks for this photo

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  3. Wow! Eleven years to build! I can see why. That architecture is something indeed.

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  4. You're in right. None should miss it visiting Monaco. I did it twice :-)

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  5. Hi Jilly - thanks for the interesting and descriptive comment about the Oceanographic Museum. Perchance you would like to add a review of it or some photos to our travel community at trivago?
    Kind regards,
    Pierre

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