Monaco is a fairytale country where there are no beggars and crime, where the streets of the old town remind of one of the oldest European dynasties, where it is easy to lose your head not only in the casinos, but also in the luxurious stores and restaurants. You will undoubtedly enjoy the Prince’s Palace, often called Le petit Versailles, the Cathédrale de Monaco and Les Jardins Saint Martin.
And, of course, the Oceanographic Museum. Its director for many years was a famous scientist – Jacques-Yves Cousteau, thanks to whom the museum has collected the rarest and most mysterious inhabitants of the depths of the world’s oceans, and the aquarium is one of the most colorful in Europe.Those who wish can try their luck in the casino Monte-Carlo (Monte-Carlo) and have an aperitif in the legendary Cafe de Paris (Cafe de Paris).
At the entrance to this small principality on the border there is a stone with the image of two armed monks. In the 12th century, the German king and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had a falling out with the papacy. After the death of Hadrian IV (who crowned Frederick with the imperial crown), Barbarossa’s opponents elected Alexander III as pope, while his supporters elected Victor IV. Alexander was not embarrassed and excommunicated the emperor, and his subjects were released from their oaths. Thus began the war between Frederick’s supporters, the Ghibellines, and the pope’s supporters, the Guelphs. As a result of which in the XIII century, the noble family Grimaldi, who led in Genoa opposition (i.e. Gwelfs) was in exile … Once, January evening, at the gates of the fortress monastery, built on the Rock by the Genoese in 1215, knocked unusual monks. It was already dusk and so the weapons, which were still visible from behind the cassock of the evening guests, were unnoticeable. In charge of this group of invaders was François Grimaldi. It was 1297…Since then, the Grimaldi family had ruled here for 700 years. The monastery was rebuilt into a palace at the same time. The area on the Rock where it is located is now called the Old Town.
Next door to the prince’s palace are the St. Martin’s Gardens. Here you can notice a plaque dedicated to Jean-Baptiste Pierre de Monet Chevalier de Lamarque (1744 – 1829). The French naturalist and professor of zoology began his scientific career by classifying clouds. He became famous for his theory of spiral evolution. The Monegasques (as the citizens of Monaco are called) claim that Lamarck created his remarkable work while walking in this ancient park.One of the most famous members of the ruling dynasty in Monaco is Prince Albert I. He was a patron of the theater and music. He was a patron of theater and music, a “scientific prince”, an oceanographer of world renown.
The heyday of Monaco began during the reign of Prince Charles III. The most famous district of the Principality – Monte Carlo – owes its name to him. The image of the square in front of the legendary casino has not changed much during these almost one and a half hundred years (1864, etc.). The luxury of Monte Carlo is not a modern idea of a hot spot with an indispensable attribute – casino. No… Only having been here, you begin to understand why it still attracts the world aristocracy. The beauty of Monte Carlo meets the tastes of both contemporaries and elite society of the second half of the XIX century. It is the style of the Belle Époque (French: Belle Époque), it is the style of a beautiful, refined life….
In the first year of the XXI century in a small park next to the Café “De Paris” there were stands with photos of everything from the XX century: 1910 – 1920, 1930 – 1940, etc. On each stand you could see pictures of famous people captured on the streets of Monaco. If one were to list all the royalty, businessmen, actors and sportsmen whose photos were on display, the list would take more than one page. Each name is a whole epoch: from Fyodor Chaliapin and Enrico Caruso to Aristotle Anasis. At the same time, there are some names of celebrities whose photos were not accidentally put on these stands. These people were also once beckoned by Monte Carlo: Anton Chekhov, Ivan Bunin and many others….
