Monaco; Playground of the Rich and Famous
EducationMonaco; Playground of the Rich and Famous
At only 1.95 sq km, and a coastline of 4.1 metres, Monaco is classified as the second smallest country in the world, and the smallest principality in the world.
The tiny country which is located on the east coast of southern France on the sunny Mediterranean coast, is famous as a tax haven and host of the Monaco Grand Prix and Monte Carlo Rally, and It's Royal Family have been in the spotlight since the former 1950's movie star Grace Kelly married the country's sovereign Prince Rainier III in 1956.
HISTORY.
Francesco Grimaldi was the Genoese leader of the Guelphs, a faction in Northern Italy that supported the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire during the 12 th and 13 th centuries.
On January 8th 1297 Francesco along with three men and his cousin Rainier, Lord of Cagnes,( who was also his step father ), captured the castle on the Rock of Monaco and took the area for his own.
Statue of Francesco Grimaldi,disguised as a monk when he took the Palace of Monaco in 1297.
He was married to Aurelia del Carretto, Rainier's mother, but their marriage was childless, which meant that after his death in 1309 he was succeeded by his cousin Rainier ,who became the first sovereign ruler of Monaco, of which the present Royal family is decended.
In 1793 Monaco was captured by French revolutionaries, leaving it under the control of France until 1814.
The principality was re - established at about this time, but it was short lived, when the Congress of Vienna designated Monaco a protectorate of Sardinia, where it remained until 1860, after the Treaty of Turin, ceded Sardinia to France.
However in 1861, with the signing of the Franco - Monegasque Treaty, the Princes of Monaco were to gain their absolute rule once more, with just limited French military protection in case of attack or national disaster.
The sovereign at this time was Prince Albert I, 10th sovereign of the Principality, who is best remembered for instigating the world famous Monte Carlo Rally in 1911.
With his death in 1922, he was succeeded by his son from his first marriage, Prince Louis II.
Prince Louis II.
Louis had been brought up in Germany, as his mother's marriage to Prince Albert had only lasted a few short years.
A military man, Louis spent most of his military career in North Africa,where he met cabaret singer Marie Juliette Louvet.
Becouse of her lowly status, Louis's constant pleas to his father asking for permission to marry her, went ungranted.
Subsequently, they lived together in Algeria, where they had a daughter Charlotte Louise Juliette, whom Louis formerly adopted in 1919, giving her the title of Princess of Monaco.
During the early years of his reign Albert had brought culture and elegance to the tiny Principality,encouraging the rich and famous to make Monaco their place of choice for holidays and weekend retreats.
But following illness in later life, he had begun to spend most of his time in Paris,leaving Monaco to fall into decline.
This left his son to rule over a city that had been neglected for more than a decade.
MONACO GRAND PRIX.
It is thanks to Louis that we now have the world famous Monaco Grand Prix, which he introduced in 1929 and the Ballet de L'Opera, which he formed along with Rene Blum. Both these were instigated in an effort to bring back culture and provide a steady income into the ailing Principality.
It was also at Louis's instigation that the Principality became a major banking centre, all of which saw the rich and famous flocking back to Monaco as they had done during the early days of his father's rule.
Louis ruled over the Principality until 1949, when he was succeeded by his grandson Rainier III, son of Louis's daughter Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois, after Charlotte renounced her right to the throne in favour of her only son.
Prince Rainier III, ruled for over 50 years, and had the title of international playboy, until his marriage to actress Grace Kelly in 1956.
Rainier took his title at a time when the Principality was heading into financial meltdown, (due to political neglect and the lean times of the war years ), and a family scandal,( it was reported that his mother was having an affair with an international jewel thief.)
Rainier worked hard to bring Monaco back into the limelight and set it on a secure financial footing.He favoured tourism and gambling in an attempt to bring back the lustre and glitz the war years had taken away.
Along with friend and shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, the two men pumped money and glamour into the Principality, and began a system of no income tax and low business tax, instigating the tax haven we know today.
His fairytale romance and subsequent wedding to Grace Kelly , saw Monaco back under the international spotlight, with movie stars, business tycoons and European royalty all flocking back to the Principality once more.
Rainier and Grace had three children, the Princess's Caroline and Stephanie and Prince Albert, all of whom have had colourful lives warranting much media attention.
MONACO TODAY.
Monaco today is world reknowned as a tax haven and playground of the rich and famous.
With it's regular clientele of music, sport and film stars, international business tycoons, tax exiles, minor royalty and international playboys and wannabees, the Principality continues to thrive.
For such a tiny place, ( about the size of london's Hyde Park ) the Principality is packed with a population of 32,000 people, made up of over 2000 millionaires and 50 billionaires.
Property in the Principality is regarded as some of the most expensive in the world.
Becouse of it's size only apartments are available for sale or rent, but what opulent apartments they are, complete with stunning views of the rocky coastline, Monaco's exclusive, yacht Marina, home to some of the world's most expensive crafts, or the Princes Palace on the rock at Le Rocher, home to the Grimaldi Royal family for 8 centuries, or views across to the tiny town of Monte Carlo, home of the world famous Casino and Hotel and Cafe De Paris.
Monaco's famous casino.
On a more sedate level are the views across to the Exotic Garden, a park of over 2 million species of Succulents, with a backdrop of pre- historic caves that are over 60 metres deep, or the elegant and serene Rose Garden which bears the statue of former Princess Grace, who tragically died in a car crash in 1982.
For a more urban scene, a view of the newly built, harbour area, with it's myriad of cafe's to be seen in, where one can sit and watch Ferraris and Porches glide by, or look out for visiting celebraties as they fly in on their private helicopters, or shop at luxury, designer emporiums, that sell trademark clothing and jewellry for a mere few million Euro's a piece.
Although regarded as a place only the rich can afford, more lowly tourists are more than welcome, as it sports an incredible 15 hotels, from 2 star to 5 star.
The local people are friendly and polite and proud of their heritage, culture and beautiful Italianate architecture that graces it's elegant squares, boulevards and tiny cobbled streets, which host it's five churches and cathedral of St Nicholas.
The native people who live here, the Monegasques, speak a language of the same name, the language comes from the Ligurian Family of languages,decended from a form of Middle Ages Italian, but French is the official language and both English and Italian are widely spoken there.
The locals are also very patriotic and show genuine affection for their Royals, of whom Prince Albert is now the ruler, who took the title on the death of his father in 2005.
Although the local people do not have to pay income tax, ( thanks to the yearly revenue of the casino ) life is not so good for them, as continually rising property prices are making it hard for them to buy or rent property, meaning many of them leave the Principality to move to France or Italy where prices are cheaper, leaving the tiny country in danger of losing it's unique and exclusive identity.
Of the 32,000 population, only 18 % is made up of natural born Monegasque people.
Every year the tiny place becomes crowded with the onset of the Monte Carlo Rally and Monaco Grand Prix car racing events.
THE YACHT HARBOUR.
The rally is classified as the most prestigious event in rally driving, and the grand prix, the most demanding of all the formula one tracks.
As well as being a haven for the rich, the Principality attracts a magnitude of celebrities and Royalty for quite another reason,the lack of Paparazzi, who are banned in the Principality.
The town is also famous for it's legendary nighlife, that consists of casino's and bars and the cultural haunts of opera and ballet.
The country has the largest police force per head per capita, of any other country, and is considered to be the safest holiday destination in the world.
Expensive it may well be, but it's one of those places one just has to do at least once in a life time, and as it is situated just moments away from France and half an hour from the Italian border, a trip to Monaco is one of the few places in the world where one can visit three different countries in a single afternoon.
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© D.B.Bellamy.February.2010.
All Images courtesy of wikimedia commons.