Musée océanographique de Monaco | |
 Exterior of the Museum | |
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| Established | 1910 |
|---|---|
| Location | Le Rocher,Monaco |
| Type | Oceanographic museum,Historic site |
| Website | www.oceano.mc |
TheOceanographic Museum (French:Musée océanographique), is a museum of marine sciences inMonaco City, Monaco.This building is part of theInstitut océanographique, which is committed to sharing its knowledge of the oceans.[1]
The Oceanographic Museum was inaugurated in 1910 by Monaco's modernist reformerPrince Albert I,[2] who invited to the celebrations not just high officials and celebrities but also the world-leading oceanographers of the day to develop the concept of a future Mediterranean Commission dedicated to oceanography, now calledMediterranean Science Commission.Jacques-Yves Cousteau was director from 1957 to 1988. The Museum celebrated its centenary in March 2010, after extensive renovations.
The museum is home to exhibitions and collections of various species of sea fauna (starfish, seahorses, turtles, jellyfish, crabs, lobsters, rays, sharks, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, eels, cuttlefish etc.). The museum's holdings also include a great variety of sea related objects, including model ships, sea animal skeletons, tools, weapons etc., as well as a collection of material culture and ritual objects made from, or integrating materials such as pearls, molluscs and nacre.[3][4]
At the first floor,A Sailor’s Career showcases the work of Prince Albert I. It includes the laboratory fromL’Hirondelle, the first of Prince Albert's research yachts. Observations made there led to an understanding of the phenomenon ofanaphylaxis, for which DrCharles Richet received theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1913.[3]
An aquarium in the basement of the museum presents a wide array of flora and fauna. Four thousand species of fish and over 200 families of invertebrates can be seen. The aquarium also features a presentation of Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystems.[3]
Numerous artists display their artworks in the museum, such asDamien Hirst andPhilippe Pasqua.[5]
This monumental example of highly chargedBaroque Revival architecture has an impressive façade above the sea, towering over the sheer cliff face to a height of 279 feet (85.04 m). It took eleven years to build, using 100,000 tons of stone fromLa Turbie.[3] During construction, the names of twenty well-known oceanographicresearch vessels personally selected by Prince Albert I were inscribed into thefrieze of the museum'sfaçade.[6]
In 1989, a French marine biologist discovered a patch of a giant, tropical seaweedCaulerpa taxifolia directly under the walls of the museum. The actual source and extent of this exotic introduction remain a matter of controversy.[13]
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