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Day: 12 November 2021

Everything you need to celebrate National Day

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/11/2021

Monaco’s National Day is fast approaching, and with it comes a programme filled with ceremony and celebration. Here is a rundown of the official events that are taking place.

Monaco’s National Day, celebrated every year on 19th November since the reign of Prince Rainier III, is a day punctuated by pre-event fireworks, religious services, a show of military prowess, a parade and other festivities.

The custom of National Day began in 1856 by Prince Charles III. The day is typically chosen by the current Prince and this particular day was chosen first by Rainier III, as it fell upon his saint’s day, then again by Albert II, who ascended the throne in 2005 on the same day.

Preparation takes eight days and nine nights to complete, and the Municipal Services of the Principality has been busily putting up 610 banners, 62 pavilions and 680 flags in anticipation. They will remain in situ until 6thDecember.

This year, special care has been made to decorate all neighbourhoods, and this can be witnessed on rues Suffren Reymond and Princesse Antoinette, the boulevards Princesse Charlotte and Rainier III, the Larvotto esplanade, and on the expressway between the tunnels to the station access. Additionally, the two entrances to the Princess Antoinette Park will also be more richly decorated than in previous years.

On the eve of National Day, 18th November, the Mairie is staging a drone show. The 12-minute light show above the Palace will replace the traditional fireworks show.

For the 2021 fête, the official day begins at 9:30am with a Thanksgiving Mass with Te Deum at the Monaco Cathedral. This will be followed by the taking of arms and presentation of rank insignia and medals on the Cour d’Honneur of the Prince’s Palace at 11am. The military parade follows at 11:30am in the Place du Palais.

That evening, an invite-only gala is also being held at the Grimaldi Forum featuring a Placido Domingo ‘Spanish Night’ with the Antonio Gades Dance Company.

There will also be a musical improv comedy theatre event put on by the Mairie at the Espace Léo Ferre for residents and citizens who were lucky enough to secure the advance tickets on Thursday 18th at 9pm and on 19th at 3pm.

Meanwhile, at the Condamine Market on 19th November, chefs will prepare a giant stockfish on the Place d’Armes between 11am and 3pm, to eat in or take away. There will also be tasting of local specialties from market traders, and a strolling band throughout the halls of the eatery and in Place du Marché from 11:30am to 2:30pm.
Reservations are necessary for all lunch and dinner meals eaten on site.
Health passes will be required and all health protocols will be strictly enforced throughout the day, including mask-wearing.
 
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Drone show to replace fireworks on 18th November

 
Photo by Cassandra Tanti for Monaco Life

 

 
 

This is the latest tool in Monaco’s digital transformation

by: Luke Entwistle
12/11/2021

The government has launched a new online portal that brings administrative tasks and documents together in one virtual location. The site, Monguichet.mc, will simplify administrative processes and is part of the larger campaign to digitise the Principality.
The platform prioritises ease of access, which is why it is accessible 24/7, as well as being available in both English and French.
Director of Digital Services in Monaco Julien Dejanovic was, however, keen to emphasise that the portal, which will allow users to carry out over 70 administrative procedures online, is not a replacement for the paper format. “The online portal is a compliment to the physical counters. We are not going to replace them. It is truly an added service. People not wishing to use them will still be able to carry out their procedures in person.”
For those who choose to use this new service, they will find a more simplified, easy-to-use and centralised service, which will allow any public service administrative procedures to be carried out in one place. Thanks to a collaboration with the Mairie, any procedures related to this department will also be managed on the digital platform.
Dejanovic underlined the ambition of the digitisation campaign in Monaco, stating that the portal was simply a first step. “Monguichet.mc is the first stage. We want to progress on two axes: the first is quantitative, meaning we are going to continue to offer more services online… The second is increasing the quality of the service, with the option of online meetings, as well as the capacity to store administrative documents online.”
The platform also compliments the Principality’s digital identity system which launched earlier this year, and those in possession of it will benefit from a simplified connection and, in time, access to a greater quantity of online services.
Monguichet.mc is part of a larger digital revolution that is taking place in the Principality, under the stewardship of Frédéric Genta, Interministerial Delegate in charge of Digital Transformation. The aim is to have digitised all day-to-day administrative procedures by the end of 2022.
 
 

Russia's natural beauty goes on display

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/11/2021

An exhibition of photographs dedicated to the environment and the beauty of the Russian Federation is now on display on the fences surrounding Saint-Martin Garden.
The Samaya Krassivaya Strana exhibit, translated to The Most Beautiful Country in English, is a series of stunning, large-format photographs taken by Russian photographers to highlight their country’s remarkable people, places and things.
This project, which is also a competition, has brought together thousands of environmental photographers since the initial launch in 2015. The aim is to showcase, through their art, the beauty and nature, as well as the biodiversity and richness of the vast nation, whilst raising awareness on how respecting the Earth is of vital importance.

Each year the jury selects the best shots from the categories such as landscape, wild animals, underwater world, Russia in faces, and cultural heritage. The photographers go above and beyond to get their shots, shivering in the freezing tundra, getting up close and personal with wild animals, scaling active volcanoes, and diving below the icy seas.
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is hosting the exhibition in conjunction with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Amenities of Monaco. “We are delighted to host the exhibition in Monaco and to present these works which echo one of its priority missions: to preserve the Earth’s biodiversity to ensure a sustainable future for future generations,” said the Foundation.
The exhibition runs until December.