More than 10 years after the first court order demanded their destruction, demolition has begun on a number of illegally built outbuildings erected at the Château de Saint-Jeannet, a historic site turned wedding venue to the north of Nice.
The iconic property was purchased by the Macedonian-British film director Jon Ascevski in the early 2000s. He soon set to work transforming the site, adding some 900m2 of new real estate. All would have been well and good had Ascevski filed for the necessary building permits – and received permission – before work began, but he didn’t.
In 2011, the law caught up with the director and he was handed a heavy fine – in the hundreds of thousands of euros – for violating the local town planning code.
It was also ordered that the outbuildings, including a 200m2 house, two pergolas, a 65m2 terrace and a 100m2 workers’ zone, be demolished.
But this demolition order was ignored until 20th February 2024, when the authorities took matters in hand and started pulling down the offending structures themselves. The job is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Some 900m2 of outbuildings were illegally built at the Château de Saint-Jeannet while it was owned by film director Jon Ascevski. Photo source: Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes
Confirming the move on social media, the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes announced, “Following the failure to comply with a court decision ordering the demolition of non-regulatory buildings on the Château de Saint-Jeannet site, the State proceeded with the start of the demolition.”
The property, which is rumoured to have once been a Templar fortress, is a local landmark located roughly 10km northwest of Nice. Also known as the Château de la Gaude, it is now a popular venue for high-end parties and weddings.
Women in business, women in sport, women in the arts… Coinciding with International Women’s Rights Day in March, the Principality is to celebrate the exceptional achievements and ambitions of its female population with a very special new event: PowHer. Here are all the details.
Monaco is joining in with International Women’s Rights Day on 8th March with an inspiring and innovative female-focused event at the Espace Léo Ferré from 9am to 8pm.
Cleverly dubbed PowHer, Monaco’s Women’s Rights Committee is organising a full-day occasion that will feature talks, conferences, creative sessions and workshops on a variety of pertinent topics, such as education, health, sport and employment.
“We strive to show how Monaco stands united for women’s rights,” says Céline Cottalorda, Monaco’s Chief Women’s Rights Officer, who is pictured above. “PowHer promotes the current and upcoming initiatives of our partners in the Principality. It will be a wonderful celebration that is open to all.”
Some of the highlights of the day will be a theatre performance, a poetry reading from school pupils in Monaco, a talk on women in the workplace that will be led by representatives from the Association of Women Business Leaders of Monaco, a mini-conference on women in sport and a roundtable discussion on how the Principality is combatting violence against women.
A wishing tree will also be installed on-site, giving women and friends of the event a chance to share their own messages of support as well as their personal thoughts.
The day, which is entirely free to join and is open to all, will end with a party and concert. Tickets can be reserved now for this aspect of the event.
Further information on PowHer and the full programme can be found here.
The ‘Scène Ouverte au Fort Antoine’ talent showcase for Monaco-based creatives aged 18 to 30 will be back this summer with a much-awaited second edition. Here’s how you can get involved.
Held at one of the Principality’s most historic outdoor venues, the Fort Antoine on the Rock of Monaco, the event was created by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs with the goal of giving Monaco’s community of young artists, musicians, dancers, actors and more the opportunity to showcase their unique talents and abilities in a supportive and inspiring environment.
And after a very successful first run last summer, the next edition of the Scène Ouverte au Fort Antoine has been announced for 19th July 2024.
Once again, the initiative will be seeking to support the artistic endeavours of individuals aged 18 to 30 who are connected to Monaco by either nationality, education, residency or other means. Interested participants are encouraged to submit their applications by 20th April 2024 via an online form available on the government’s official website.
For inquiries related to the event, potential participants and the public can also reach out to the team organising this year’s Scène Ouverte au Fort Antoine on email: fortantoine@gouv.mc.
Prince Albert II has officially launched the Monaco Yacht Club’s first floating pontoon that will be used to produce green hydrogen from renewable energy sources.
On Monday 19th February, Prince Albert inaugurated the high-tech pontoon alongside a number of government officials, including Minister for Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development Céline Caron-Dagioni and Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior;
The high-tech autonomous pontoon was developed by SBM Offshore engineers and is their milestone contribution to the upcoming Monaco Energy Boat Challenge.
Moored in the YCM Marina since January, the goal is to fill 30 cylinders and supply eight teams in the Energy Class with green hydrogen for the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, which will be held from 1st to 7th July, to help reduce the event’s carbon footprint and promote the use of eco-responsible energy resources.
“An ever-increasing demand for safe, sustainable, affordable energy presents one of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Francesco Prazzo, General Manager of SBM Offshore. “As offshore pioneers, we are convinced the oceans hold the key to meeting an urgent need for low-carbon solutions, with hydrogen being part of that response.”
Photo credit: H. Mesi, YCM
It is an important advancement for the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, which is this year marking it’s 11th edition.
“It is very satisfying to see how far we have progressed,” said YCM General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri. “Even with limited resources, it is now possible to produce green hydrogen. In line with UN Sustainable Development Goals, and under the collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach, the Yacht Club de Monaco continues to maximise initiatives using technology to help protect our ecosystem.”
Tried and tested technology
This type of pontoon has been tested at previous editions of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge and has undergone numerous improvements. It weighs 1.3 tonnes, has a 20m2 surface area of floating solar panels linked to twice as many batteries to produce hydrogen continuously day and night. Cylinder fill-time is now 1 litre/minute.
The pontoon also incorporates a remote control system to monitor electrolyser flow, battery charge, the heating and cooling system, as well as sensors, alarms and a dehumidifier. For the 11th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, teams will have a choice between nine litre or 13 litre hydrogen cylinders. Each team is free to estimate its consumption according to its choice of power source with the right to produce energy during a race.
Photo of Prince Albert II with, from left to right: Angelina Fausto, Jean-Marc Cruvelier, Herve Botta, Jean-Marc Hendrikse, Patrick Ferri, Ludovic Abril, Emmanuel Guilloir, and Francesco Prazzo. Credit: H. Mesi, YCM
YCM as a hub of continuous innovation
During the pontoon inauguration, the YCM showcased its various environmental initiatives, including the water treatment and recycling system that has been in place since the summer of 2023. This innovative technology has been developed by Firmus Grey Water Recycling System (FGWRS), a Monaco-based company specialising in grey water and swimming pool water recycling.
Since its instalment, YCM members have been bathing in recycled water instead of drinking water as was the case before. It’s the first time this system has been installed for a pool in Monaco, where it is closely monitored by the Monegasque health authorities, and over one million litres of water have already been treated this way, equivalent to half an Olympic-size pool.
Water from the state of the art FGWRS system is also used to clean boats and to water plants, via a device called Aqua Sail, in the form of recycled water cubes. It is being used by young sailors, regatta competitors including the 400 sailors set to compete in the 40th Primo Cup in March, YCM members and YCM Marina staff, and those using the private Touch & Go pontoon.
All of these initiatives are part of the YCM’s environmental policy, which aims to get everyone thinking about the impact their choices have on our ecosystem. It’s an issue that will be at the heart of debates on Yachting Day, organised by the YCM on Thursday 21st March, during Monaco Ocean Week. A packed program will focus on exploration in collaboration with the Explorer Club based in New York, the Explorer Awards, and the Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous.
Monegasque artist Philippe Pastor has teamed up with the Princess Charlene Foundation and the Robilant + Voena Art Gallery for an exceptional exhibit, Bleu Pastor, that has taken the message of his latest environmental awareness-raising collection to the Alpine Swiss village of St. Moritz.
Philippe Pastor has made a name for himself not only as a talented artist, but also as a staunch eco-warrior, and this new collaboration draws together works from two of his most powerful collections.
15 pieces from the Bleu Monochrome series, each an exploration of the depths of the colour blue and employing carefully sourced raw pigments, are being showcased at St. Moritz’s Forum Paracelsus, which was once a healing and religious centre built over the area’s legendary mineral springs.
The blue-hued artworks hint at the purity and fragility of the world’s oceans and will be displayed across three rooms, with one specifically dedicated to sea ice melt.
The exhibition features 15 pieces from Pastor’s Bleu Monochrome series. Photo credit: Robilant + Voena
Nearby, at the resort’s Survetta House, an installation of sculptures from Pastor’s now-famous Les Arbres Brûlés series – a collection that remembers the devastating forest fires that tore through Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in 2003 – can be found. Five pieces from this series are also being displayed at the Forum Paracelsus site, adding dramatic effect to an already captivating show.
The connection between the Princess Charlene Foundation and Pastor may not seem immediately apparent, but both are committed to action: the Foundation through its water safety and drowning prevention programmes that have potentially saved hundreds of lives, and the artist as a conduit between art and awareness of the environment and effecting positive change.
The exhibition will run until 29th February. Click here for more information.
To hear more about the exhibition from the artist himself, watch the video below:
Advancements at the highest levels of athlete care and sports medicine are to be explored at the upcoming IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, which is being held in Monaco between 29th February and 2nd March.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long been a forerunner in promoting advancement in sports-related medicine and treatments, and the seventh edition of its dedicated World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport is set to highlight the latest insights and innovations that are changing how teams and their medical staff approach athlete care.
The conference promises a rich programme featuring topics such as the integration of artificial intelligence into athletes’ healthcare plans, how the safety of sportsmen and women in the more extreme disciplines can be balanced against their pushing of sports’ boundaries and the findings of new research studies on issues including mental health and respiratory illnesses.
“Every athlete knows that injury and illness are an inherent risk to any sporting career,” says Thomas Bach, IOC President. “Athletes are at the heart of the Olympic Movement, and so it is only natural that the athletes’ health is a top priority for the International Olympic Committee. The IOC World Conference on the Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport is one expression of how the IOC always puts the health of athletes first. Bringing together leading experts and practitioners in sports medicine from around the world, this conference is an ideal platform for sharing and disseminating the latest research and best practices in the field of injury and illness prevention in sport.”
Beyond the exchange of knowledge, the conference will also provide opportunities for networking alongside interactive workshops and sessions specifically tailored to young athletes and those eager to build a career in the sports medicine field.
The IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport will be hosted at the Grimaldi Forum.
