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Month: August 2024

Prince Albert II to lead commemorations of Monaco’s 1944 Liberation

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/08/2024
monaco liberation

It is nearly 80 years since the Liberation of Monaco by Allied troops on 3rd September 1944, and the Principality is set to commemorate this landmark moment in its history with the full honours, pageantry and ceremony befitting such a momentous occasion.  

Monaco was occupied by Axis powers between 1942. Initially controlled by Italian forces, German troops later took over the Principality following Italy’s surrender in September 1943.

The Germans retreated almost a year to the day after they had entered Monaco, departing under the threat of the incoming Allied forces who had landed in the south of France on 15th August 1944 under the command of United States Army Major General Robert Frederick.  

The Liberation of Monaco is thus commemorated each year on 3rd September, and with 2024 representing the 80th anniversary of this major event, Prince Albert II of Monaco has sought to mark the occasion with an extra special ceremony. 

See more: Prince Albert II joins Emmanuel Macron and King Charles III at D-Day commemorations

According to a statement by the Monaco Government, “The Sovereign Prince has wished for this anniversary to have special significance this year, as in other affected countries, by particularly highlighting the decisive contribution of the American army.” 

As such, a special tribute will be paid to US General Frederick in the form of a ceremony and the issuing of a souvenir stamp.  

Prince Albert is expected to make a speech at the ceremony, which will be held in front of the war memorial commemorating 20th century conflicts in the Monaco Cemetery at 5pm on 3rd September, in the presence of servicemen from Monaco, France and the US.  

General Frederick’s grandson, Bradford Hicks, has also been personally invited to Monaco to participate in the event.  

Read more: Photos: Prince Albert II commemorates 80th anniversary of Normandy’s D-Day landings

At 6pm, after the laying of a wreath at the Conseil National, notably by the commemorative plaque that honours Monegasque Resistance fighter René Borghini and his liaison officer, Esther Poggio, who were executed on 15th August 1944, Prince Albert will inaugurate an exhibition called ‘Monaco Liberated! 3rd September to 28th December 1944’ in the main hall of the Ministry of State.  

The exhibition has been collectively organised by the Mission for the Prefiguration of the National Archives, the Archives of the Princely Palace and the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco in collaboration with the Médiathèque de Monaco. It will be open to the public until 31st January 2025.  

Throughout the day, the Commemoration Committee will be hosting an array of WWII-related events in the streets of the Principality, such as a military vehicle parade that will depart Avenue Saint-Laurent for the Palais Princier via the Maison de France and Lycée Albert Ier. The timings of the parade are yet to be confirmed. 

Monaco’s memories of WWII extend beyond the borders of the Principality, and it has been revealed that the Monegasque State has made financial contributions to the installation of a new bronze statue commemorating the site of the Airborne Task Force’s landing in La Motte in the Var. The state was unveiled on 14th August.  

Read related:

Heritage sites in Monaco that are well worth a visit

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Photo source: Monaco Communications Department

 

Football: Monaco start with a win as Ligue 1 makes long-awaited return

by: Luke Entwistle
18/08/2024
Monaco's players celebrate after Takumi Minamino's strike is awarded as a goal after a lengthy VAR check.

AS Monaco got their Ligue 1 campaign off to a winning start, beating newly-promoted AS Saint-Étienne (1-0) at a packed Stade Louis II on Saturday evening.

It is a season like no other for Monaco, who celebrate their centenary later this month. With Champions League football also returning to the Principality, it is a season that promises to be special, and it got off to the perfect start.

This opening day was less about the Principality club and more about Saint-Étienne, a fallen giant of French football back on the rise following promotion to the top flight last season. Over 14,000 fans packed into the Stade Louis II, and many of them were supporting Les Verts, who were in an understandably festive mood as they returned to the elite.

Breel Embolo almost silenced them in the third minute with a bullet header from close range, but Gautier Larsonneur was equal to the effort, parrying the shot away.

Whilst Monaco looked superior for large periods, controlling the game through the impressive duo of newly-apppointed club captain Denis Zakaria and new signing Lamine Camara, Saint-Étienne created chances of their own on the break. All of them fell to Ibrahim Sissoko, and luckily for Monaco, he wasn’t in clinical form, squandering a number of chances throughout the game, notably failing to beat Philipp Köhn in a one-on-one.

Sissoko denied twice by the offside flag for Saint-Étienne

The Principality club thought they had taken the lead through Takumi Minamino, only for a tight offside call to deny the Japanese international. Sissoko had the ball in the back of the Monaco net just seconds later, but his effort was ruled out for a much more obvious offside call.

Minamino had the ball in the back of the net once again seven minutes later, but there was no reaction from the forward with the flag immediately raised. However, this time, VAR came to Monaco’s rescue, with the Japanese forward adjudged to have been marginally offside.

Heading into the second half, Monaco continued to dominate, but they couldn’t add to their advantage, despite creating a set of good half-chances. The fear of being punished for profligacy was always there and it was seemingly realised with just under 20 minutes remaining.

Sissoko found the back of the net for the second time on the night, latching on to Zuriko Davitashvili’s cross. With the game about to restart, a collective sigh of relief spread around the Stade Louis II with Davitashvili adjudged to be ever-so marginally offside.

Despite losing captain Zakaria, and Eliesse Ben Seghir to cramp, Monaco held on to secure the victory that, according to manager Adi Hütter, was more resounding than the scoreline suggested.

Hütter unhappy with state of Stade Louis II pitch

“I’m happy with the result. When you look [at the score], it looks like a 50/50 game but with the chances we had, we could have won by many more; we should have scored more goals,” said the Monaco manager.

Whilst Hütter called for improvements from his side, both in defence and in attack, he also called for improvements to the recently relaid surface at the Stade Louis II, which was not up to scratch for the return of Ligue 1 football.

“The pitch wasn’t good, not in a top condition […] the people in charge should work as quick as possible to bring it into a decent condition,” he said. With Monaco travelling to face Lyon next week, groundstaff have a fortnight, until the arrival of Lens on 1st September, to get the pitch up to scratch.

An imperfect performance, an imperfect pitch too, but Monaco ensured that this special centenary season got off to the perfect start.

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo source: AS Monaco

Sustainability at the Olympics: innovative planning and forward-thinking or greenwashing?

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/08/2024

From tennis balls to mattresses and from the very sand used in the beach volleyball courts to the podiums mounted by the medal winners, as much as 90% of the equipment used during the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics has been earmarked for a second life in a pioneering new plan set out by the Games’ organisers, but is the plan really as good as it sounds? 

The Olympic Games in Paris have now come and gone, but the Paralympics are yet to come. From 28th August until 8th September, a whole other community of top-level athletes will be competing in what is likely to be the biggest edition of the Paralympics in history.  

During this pause in competition, however, thoughts and discussions have turned to what will become of the six million items that have been and are yet to be used during the two colossal events.  

The first round of competitors have vacated the Athletes’ Village, taking home medals or the hope of better luck next time, but they have left behind a host of purpose-built developments, massive amounts of equipment and many, many products. Yet more will be required in the coming weeks. 

In days gone by, these items would have been thrown away, destined only for the rubbish dump, but in an age where environmental awareness is paramount, the organisers of the 2024 Summer Games had a better idea: recycling. 

METICULOUSLY PLANNED 

From the very early planning stages, the coordinators of the Paris Games were looking ahead and considering what could be done to eliminate as much waste as possible in the aftermath of the competitions. The objective was to give the perfectly usable equipment and items needed by the events a second chance wherever possible. 

They favoured the use of temporary venues to reduce the likelihood of buildings becoming forgotten eyesores down the line and asked suppliers to present them with ways in which left-behind kit could be transformed into something that would befit a circular economy. 

“Before we ordered anything, we thought about what this thing is going to become afterwards,” said Paris 2024 Sustainability Director Georgina Grenon in an interview with AFP in mid-August. “We also hired consultants… Nobody could tell us if this had been done before.” 

The first step was to set about the mammoth task of creating an inventory of the millions of items that would be used by the two sets of Games. Then, the organisers started approaching the suppliers, who, in order to get contracts, were obliged to present ideas for how their products could be used after the closing ceremonies. 

This approach encompassed everything from the sand used in the beach volleyball courts that were erected in front of the Eiffel Tower to the tennis balls used at the Roland-Garros event, as well as all the javelins, shot puts and the like. All of these are now believed to be assigned to various professional and municipality-run clubs across France.  

See more: Monaco’s Olympic journey ends on a proud note

Once the Olympic logos are removed, the podiums used at the hundreds of different medal events will be reused for other events, say those behind the Games.  

Additionally, Lyreco, the company that supplied the 600,000 pieces of office furniture needed for the behind-the-scenes action, has agreed to take back all items leased to the Games. The company is reportedly planning on launching a new second-hand furniture business. In a similar move, the 14,000 mattresses made from recycled plastic that were used in the Athletes’ Village have been earmarked for the French Army. 

Meanwhile, two of the swimming pools set up for training sessions and a skatepark will be relocated to the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris in the near future.  

Other ideas are of a more enterprising nature. For example, many of the flags and torches will be sold off as souvenirs to fans.  

In total, 90% of the items used during the Games already have confirmed second lives, and the organisers are reportedly in the midst of negotiations concerning suitable items and goods that make up the remaining 10%.  

CRITICS WARN OF GREENWASHING 

With all the positives, there are inevitably some negatives, and critics have been quick to point out the worst, accusing the Games of allowing greenwashing by their biggest corporate sponsors. 

Some specific denunciations are aimed at Coca-Cola, which supplied millions of plastic bottles of its iconic soft drink, a decision that directly contradicted the organisers’ promise to cut single-use plastic on-site in half versus the 2012 London Games. On top of this, many sponsors circulated and distributed huge amounts of knick-knacks and marketing paraphernalia that inevitably wound up in bins as fans headed home.  

Despite the criticisms, the sustainable actions seen at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games show that the events industry is capable of considering – and mitigating – its environmental impact. Time will tell whether these Games have set a new standard, but the initial signs suggest that the environmentally-conscious decisions made in the run-up to and in the aftermath of the Games are something that the organisers can be proud of.  

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Photo source: Bo Zhang, Unsplash

Locations of three major potential building projects in Monaco revealed 

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/08/2024

Big changes could be coming to the Monaco skyline if three major development projects in the Jardin Exotique and Condamine neighbourhoods make it past the local council. Here’s everything we know about the plans so far.  

In light of a shift in urban planning regulations, a number of real estate projects that were previously turned down due to issues with their height and design, among other concerns, are now being reconsidered by Monaco’s Conseil Communal.  

Though they are yet to be formally voted on – importantly, no permits or official start dates for the projects have been confirmed – the locations of the three main developments under consideration have been made public, as reported by Monaco Matin. 

THREE PROJECTS 

The first project would involve the demolition of three villas located between Rue Honoré Labande and Boulevard du Jardin Exotique. The plans indicate that Villas Montagne, Marie and Victoria will be razed to the ground in order for the construction of a new singular building that measures up to Monaco’s modern and sustainable standards. To this end, the building is expected to feature a green roof.  

The second development centres around the renovation and restructuring of the CFM Indosuez building on Square Gastaud. The objective of the project is to bring the aesthetic of the building more into line with the general look of the historic Condamine neighbourhood.  

In comments to the Monaco Matin, Pascal Rouanet, the director of Monaco’s Department of Foresight, Urban Planning and Mobility, said, “At the moment, we are talking about a potential elevation of the building. Potential because for the moment, I do not have a file. The building has an altitude of 29.5m. The goal of the procedure is to modify the altitude to allow for a possible elevation.”

Finally, the properties at No. 39, 41 and 43 on Rue Grimaldi are in the crosshairs for demolition. On this site, developers reportedly want to clear the path for a new, contemporary construction that was previously outside of Monaco’s building code. 

While it appears likely that these three distinct projects will go on to the next stage of planning, the authorities have been keen to reassure the public that the developments will not be rubber-stamped without thorough evaluation and a certain degree of caution.  

“For the moment, the goal is to adapt urban planning regulations; we are not in the process of validating projects,” said Rouanet. “We provide the regulatory outlines, but we do not have a permit on the table. [The projects] are still under investigation and awaiting validation by the council.” 

Read related:

Real estate: Villa Belgica set for modern makeover, announces UBS Monaco

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

 

The Angel of Monaco spreads her wings in Port Hercule 

by: Niki Borisova
15/08/2024

Visitors to Port Hercule in recent days may have noticed a beautiful stainless-steel angel glinting in the sunlight at Le Pattaya near the Yacht Club de Monaco. Here is her story.  

A symbol of grace and elegance encapsulated in a stunning stainless-steel form, British artist Christopher Shellis was inspired to create the Angel of Monaco, a design four years in the making, after visiting the Principality and becoming enamoured by its culture, legacy, prestige and values.  

Now, after touring multiple sites across the Principality, from the Rock to the famous Casino Square, Shellis’ marine-grade stainless-steel creation has been welcomed with open arms by the owner of Le Pattaya on the Quai des États-Unis, who purchased a medium format version from the sculptor and now proudly displays the piece on the establishment’s port-facing terrace. 

A medium-sized format of the Angel of Monaco has been on display at Le Pattaya since 8th August. Photo courtesy of Christopher Shellis

Shellis, an artist and designer for more than 25 years, is still looking for the perfect – and permanent – site for his full-size model, but tells Monaco Life that there are several “prominent” locations in contention, from a location near the Cour d’Honneur du Palais Princier to the Jardins des Boulingrins and indeed in Port Hercule.  

Wherever the Angel finds her ultimate home, it is the artist’s hope that she inspires those who see her. During a recent visit to the Principality, Shellis was able to watch on as passersby paused to stretch their arms out in front of her outspread wings, interacting with the sculpture in a personal and empowering way.  

He shares with Monaco Life that his Angel of Monaco concept has been warmly welcomed by the Grimaldi family, and he recently presented Princess Charlene and Princess Gabriella with miniature pendant forms of the sculpture as a token of his appreciation for the Principality, a place he describes as the “ultimate destination of glamour and ultimate prize of any success”.  

Though the main dream is to find a grand locale for the Angel, a place befitting her magnanimity, Shellis has also created a full line of sculptures and jewellery pieces in a range of sizes, from the tokens gifted to Monaco’s leading ladies to small, medium and full-scale models. The pendants, which are available in Sterling silver, nine-carat gold and 18-carat gold, can be ordered via Shellis’ Angel of Monaco website. The sculptures are produced on commission and have a lead time of around six weeks. For more information, click here.  

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

All images courtesy of Christopher Shellis

 

Learn to scuba dive at the Stade Nautique Rainier III 

by: Elsa Carpenter
15/08/2024
scuba diving

Keen swimmers aged eight and up are being offered the chance to learn the basics of scuba diving at a number of free sessions held at the Stade Nautique Rainier III in Port Hercule.  

Following a successful first class in July, another two training sessions will be hosted by the Mairie de Monaco at the public pool this summer. 

The next session will take place on Monday 19th August, before the third and final class scheduled for Wednesday 4th September.  

The authentic scuba diving experiences are entirely free and last for up to 10 minutes, with a team of professionals from the Club d’Exploration Sous-Marine de Monaco on hand to help participants get to grips with the equipment and rules of the sport.  

The sessions will both run from 9.30am until 5pm. Prior reservations aren’t required, you simply need to turn up to give it a go!  

For more information, click here. 

Read related:

A guide to Monaco’s four secret swimming spots

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

 

Photo source: Mairie de Monaco