Oceanographic Museum of the Principality of Monaco

The Oceanographic Museum of the Principality of Monaco was founded by Prince Albert I of Monaco, an outstanding scientist who devoted much of his life to oceanography.

After Prince Albert's scientific collections aroused great interest during the World's Fair in Paris in 1889, he decided to create the Oceanographic Museum, the first stone of which was laid on April 25, 1899. The opening ceremony took place on March 29, 1910, 11 years after construction began.

The building of the museum, which grew directly from the rock, is an architectural masterpiece created by the architect Delefortri. It crashes into the steep slope of the Rock of Monaco and rises steeply over the sea for 85 meters.

The Oceanographic Museum in Monaco is the main scientific base of the Institute of Oceanography, which deals with marine problems and was also founded by Prince Albert. Since 1957, the director of the museum was Jacques Yves Cousteau. In March 2010, the museum celebrated the centenary of the birth of the famous scientist.

The Museum Aquarium presents all the seas of the globe - more than 6000 fish and invertebrates live here. A giant coral reef recreated in the Aquarium gives visitors a sense of the real sea. In December 2000, the opening ceremony of the Shark Lagoon took place.

From the terrace of the museum you can enjoy a unique panorama of the coast. From here you can see not only the entire principality, but also the picturesque winding vista of the French and even Italian Côte d'Azur stretching for many kilometers.

Almost a million people visit the museum every year.