Monaco City

Monaco City
Ward of Monaco
View of Monaco City
Nickname(s): The Rock
Location in Monaco
Coordinates: 43°43′51.24″N 7°25′26.76″E / 43.7309000°N 7.4241000°E / 43.7309000; 7.4241000Coordinates: 43°43′51.24″N 7°25′26.76″E / 43.7309000°N 7.4241000°E / 43.7309000; 7.4241000
Area
• Land	0.196491 km2 (0.075866 sq mi)
Population (2008)
• Total	975
• Density	4,962/km2 (12,850/sq mi)

Monaco City (French: Monaco-Ville) is the southcentral ward in the Principality of Monaco. Located on a headland that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, 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.^[1][2]

Geography

Monaco City is one of the four traditional quarters (French: quartiers) of Monaco; the others are La Condamine, Monte Carlo, and Fontvieille.

Monaco-Ville is located at 43°44′15″N 7°24′55″E / 43.73750°N 7.41528°E / 43.73750; 7.41528 and has an estimated population of 975.

History

Monaco City was originally called in greek Monoikos, after the temple of Hercules Monoikos, located in a Phocaean colony of the 6th century BCE. During its history, Monoikos changed hands numerous times. It became Monaco in the Middle Ages. Some of the city walls and original structures still remain.

In 1297, the Rock was seized by François Grimaldi, a member of the House of Grimaldi. The Grimaldis made the old fortress their residence. The fortress evolved into the Palais Princier, which is the official residence of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.

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.

• Palais Princier, the Prince's palace. The colorful changing of the guard occurs every day outside the Palais at 11:55 am.
• Saint Nicholas Cathedral (French: Cathédrale de Monaco), a Romanesque-Byzantine church that contains the remains of many members of Monaco's ruling family.
• The Oceanographic Museum, established by Albert I, Prince of Monaco in 1910.
• Chapelle de la Misericorde, 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, a 17th-century Roman Catholic chapel and art museum.
• Fort Antoine Theatre, an amphitheater at the bottom of the rock.^[3]

Notable residents

Gallery

• 
  A street in Monaco City
• 
  The Rock of Monaco from Monaco's exotic garden
• 
  The Prince's Palace of Monaco
• 
  View of Monaco City from the east

See also

• Geography of Monaco with suburbs and features

References

External links

• Media related to Monaco-Ville at Wikimedia Commons