Monaco City (french: Monaco-Ville) is the southcentral

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

in the

Principality of Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria ...

. Located on a headland that extends into the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

, it is nicknamed The Rock (french: Le Rocher). The name "Monaco City" is misleading: it is not itself a city, but a historical and statistical district. It holds most of the country's political and judicial institutions: the Prince's Palace, the town hall, the government, the National Council (parliament of Monaco), the

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, the courts and a prison (hanging on The Rock).

Geography

Monaco City is one of the four traditional quarters (french: quartiers) of Monaco; the others are

La Condamine La Condamine ( lij, A Cundamina ) is the central ward in the Principality of Monaco. Its landmarks include Port Hercules, the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, and the Princess Antoinette Park. Its farmer's market at the ''Place d'Armes'' dates fro ...

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

, and Fontvieille. It is located at and has an estimated population of 975. It has 19.64 hectares of surface and is located between the districts of Fontvieille and

History

Monaco Ville was originally called in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Monoikos, after the temple of ''Hercules Monoikos'', located in a

Phocaea Phocaea or Phokaia (Ancient Greek: Φώκαια, ''Phókaia''; modern-day Foça in Turkey) was an ancient Ionian Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the colony of Massalia (modern-day Marseille, in ...

n colony of the 6th century BCE. During its history, Monoikos changed hands numerous times. It became ''Monaco'' in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Some of the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

s and original structures still remain. It was here that the Phocaeans of Massalia (now Marseille) founded the colony of Monoïkos in the 6th century BC. Monoikos was associated with Hercules, who was worshipped as Hercules Monoecus. According to the works of Hercules, but also according to Diodorus of Sicily and Strabo, the Greeks and the Ligurians reported that Hercules had passed through the region. On 10 June 1215, a detachment of Ghibellines led by Fulco del Cassello began the construction of a fortress on the rock of Monaco in order to make it a strategic military position and a means of controlling the area. They also established dwellings at the base of the Rock to support the garrisons. To attract the inhabitants of Genoa and the surrounding towns, they offered land and exempted newcomers from taxes. On January 8, 1297,

François Grimaldi Francesco Grimaldi (french: François, italics=no; eng, Francis, italics=no), called (from Italian: "''the malicious''"), was the Genoese leader of the Guelphs who captured the Rock of Monaco on the night of 8 January 1297. He was the son of ...

, descendant of Otto Canella, consul of Genoa in 1133, took over the fortress. Although he had a small army, he disguised himself as a Franciscan monk to enter, before opening the gates to his soldiers. This episode gave rise to his nickname, Malizia ("malice"). This is why today the arms of Monaco bear two Franciscans armed with a sword.

Landmarks

Despite being located in the middle of the City of Monaco, the world's most densely populated urban center, Monaco City remains a medieval village at heart, made up almost entirely of quiet pedestrian streets and marked by virtual silence after sundown. Though innumerable people visit Monaco City and the palace square, only local vehicles are allowed up to the Rock, and gasoline-powered motorcycles are prohibited after 10 pm. *

Prince's Palace of Monaco The Prince's Palace of Monaco ( French: ''Palais princier de Monaco'') is the official residence of the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besi ...

. The colorful changing of the guard occurs every day outside the ''Palais'' at 11:55 am. *

Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (in French language: ''Cathédrale de Notre-Dame-Immaculée''), but sometimes called Saint Nicholas Cathedral (name of the old church which was demolished in 1874), or Monaco Cathedral (Fr ...

(french: Cathédrale de Monaco), a Romanesque-Byzantine Catholic church that contains the remains of many members of Monaco's ruling family. *The

Oceanographic Museum The Oceanographic Museum (''Musée océanographique'') is a museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. This building is part of the Institut océanographique, which is committed to sharing its knowledge of the oceans. History The ...

, established by

Albert I, Prince of Monaco Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922) was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death. He devoted much of his life to oceanography, exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I ...

in 1910. *Chapel of Mercy, built in 1639, one of the oldest buildings in the principality. It is famous for being the starting point of a torchlit religious procession by local residents that takes place on the eve of Good Friday each year. * St Martin Gardens, a small park of rocky paths that cling to the rock. *

Museum of the Chapel of Visitation The Museum of the Chapel of Visitation (french: Museé de la Chapelle de la Visitation) is an art museum and Roman Catholic chapel in the Monaco-Ville ward of Monaco. The baroque chapel dates from the 17th-century. From 1995, the museum was the ho ...

, a 17th-century Roman Catholic chapel and art museum. *

Fort Antoine Theatre The Fort Antoine Theatre is a small amphitheatre on the Avenue de la Quarantaine in the Monaco-Ville ward of Monaco. The fort hosts open air plays in the summer months. The theatre was originally constructed as a fortress in the early 18th-centur ...

, an amphitheater at the bottom of the rock.

Notable residents

* Beatrice Borromeo; Italian journalist and socialite *

Andrea Casiraghi Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi (born 8 June 1984) is the elder son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband Stefano Casiraghi. He is the eldest grandchild of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. Casir ...

; Monégasque royal *

Charlotte Casiraghi Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born 3 August 1986) is a Monégasque model, socialite, writer, editor, equestrian, journalist, film producer, and humanitarian. She is the second child and only daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and S ...

; Monégasque royal *

Pierre Casiraghi Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi (born 5 September 1987) is the younger son and youngest of three children of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi. He is the maternal-line grandson of Rainier III, Prince o ...

; Monégasque royal * Stefano Casiraghi; Italian socialite * Tatiana Casiraghi; Colombian-American socialite * Ghislaine Dommanget; French actress, Princess of Monaco * Daniel Ducruet;

Carabinier A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine. A carbiniere is a carabiniere musket or rifle and were commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is d ...

in the ''

Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (in Monegsque: ''Cumpagnia d’i Carrabiniei d’u Pri̍ncipu'', Prince's Company of Riflemen in English) is the Infantry branch of the ''Force Publique'', and one of the limited number of militaries that ...

'' *

Louis Ducruet Louis Robert Paul Ducruet (born 26 November 1992) is the son of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and Daniel Ducruet. Early life Ducruet grew up in Monaco-Ville. His parents, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and Daniel Ducruet, were married in 1995, bu ...

; Monégasque royal *

Gad Elmaleh Gad Elmaleh ( ar, جاد المالح, Latn, ar, Gād el-Māleḥ; born 19 April 1971) is a Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian and actor who achieved fame in France, Morocco and the United States. He is best known in the French-speaking wor ...

; Moroccan actor * Philippe Gilbert; Belgian cyclist * Camille Gottlieb; Monégasque royal * Jean-Raymond Gottlieb; Carabinier in the ''Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince'' * Albert Grimaldi; Prince of Monaco * Caroline Grimaldi; Princess of Hanover, Princess of Monaco * Gabriella Grimaldi; Princess of Monaco * Jacques Grimaldi; Prince of Monaco * Rainier Grimaldi; Prince of Monaco * Stéphanie Grimaldi; Princess of Monaco * Alexandra Hanover; Princess of Hanover *

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

; American actress, Princess of Monaco * Charlene Wittstock; South African swimmer, Princess of Monaco

Gallery

Monaco-Ville-ruelle.jpg, A street in Monaco City Monaco from the bottom of the exotic garden.jpg, The Rock of Monaco from Monaco's exotic garden Panorama schloss monaco.jpg, The Prince's Palace of Monaco File:Vista de Mónaco, 2016-06-23, DD 15.jpg, View of Monaco City from the east

References

External links

* {{Authority control * Quarters of Monaco

Geography

History

Landmarks

Notable residents

Gallery

See also

References

External links