One of the cultural and scientific jewels in Europe, the Musée Océanographique in Monaco, has added even more visitor experiences to its already rich offering.
In 1989, Jean Jaubert loaded 100,000 litres of seawater, two tons of living rock, kilos of sand, and fragments of Red Sea coral onto planes in Djibouti. He then flew them 4,000 kilometres to Monaco and emptied the load into a 40,000-litre tank at the Oceanographic Museum. Most marine biologists at the time would have given him a week before everything died. But 36 years later, those same coral fragments are still growing while reefs across the planet bleach and collapse. This points at an unexpected truth: some species now live longer in captivity than in the wild.
Since then, corals have held a special place among the multitude of marine fauna at the museum. Despite often mistaken for plants, they are actually structures made up of thousands of tiny invertebrates.
Fully understanding their significance in the oceans’ ecosystem, the museum has shed the spotlight on them on many occasions, like the 2016 exhibition of its rescue mission for the corals of Tubbataha marine park or the 2020 Year of the Coral with the 3D exhibition Immersion into the Great Barrier Reef at its centre.
Total Makeover
When in late October HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco unveiled the newly renovated coral tank after extensive modernization, he marked another milestone in the history of one of the world’s premier scientific marine labs. Now holding 38,000 litres and located in the aquarium’s tropical section, the structure currently ensures the preservation of nearly 80 coral colonies. That is not a trivial task for the tech and science teams: species need to be moved, reinserted, and acclimated, the basin has to be refilled with water and biologically rebalanced – a busy hands-on job. The tank is designed to recreate an actual coral reef as faithfully as possible behind windows that are 10 cm thick and weigh 1.7 tons, allowing for a better immersive visitor experience.
In homage to its creator, a pioneer in coral reef reproduction and director of the Musée Océanographique from 2004 to 2007, the restored tank now bears the name “bassin Jean Jaubert”. An educational fresco animated by digital projection using mapping technology complements the installation. This space may be for conservation but more than that, it is an invitation to admire the delicate beauty of these fragments of the Red Sea up close, and it raises awareness for the preservation of this living heritage
What is a coral fragment? Fragmentation involves delicately collecting coral fragments to attach them to specific supports. These fragments are then placed in tanks where environmental conditions – temperature, light, salinity, water quality – are rigorously controlled to promote their growth. On average, 300 coral fragments are produced each year in the Oceanographic Museum’s reserve, then installed in the aquariums.
If These Walls Could Talk… – Well, They Can!
The coral basin was not the only place in the museum that recently underwent substantial updates. The majestic ground floor Conference Hall was also equipped with new technology designed to immerse the visitor in its history.
Nearly 40 metres long and covering more than 500 sq.m., the hall has embodied the Principality’s commitment to Ocean protection for over a century. Each year, nearly 650,000 visitors pass through it, not always imagining the major events and leading figures – including the Princes of Monaco – who have gathered there many times for major international meetings.
New digital and audio devices showcase this living memory to highlight the hall’s central role as a space for transmission and commitment where history continues to be written:
A 12-minute film screened continuously blends archival footage and contemporary images to trace over a century of commitment: from documents of Prince Albert I and highlights from Prince Rainier III’s reign to initiatives led by Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Oceano community. The film concludes by inviting visitors to look up at the ceiling adorned with illustrated coffers, a patrimonial jewel of the hall.
“There is one word that sums up the spirit of this inaugural sequence: appreciation. Appreciation for the visionary creators of the tank now named ‘Jean Jaubert,’ who more than thirty years ago demonstrated that it was possible to sustain and grow corals in a closed environment; appreciation for those who have shaped our history and continue to make it shine; and finally, appreciation for our patrons, whose trust and loyalty inspire us and carry us toward the future.”
— Robert Calcagno, Director of the Oceanographic Institute, Albert I Foundation, Prince of Monaco.
Eight audio modules offer intimate immersion with major figures who have marked these spaces. Scientific personalities, heads of state, economic or artistic figures, including Commander Cousteau, Jean Malaurie, Anita Conti, Jean-Louis Étienne, and John Kerry. Arranged in chronological order organized around the reigns of Monaco’s princes (Prince Albert I, Prince Rainier III, and Prince Albert II of Monaco), each stop recreates an installation around these leaders on the frontiers of ocean science where the wall whispers its secrets in the visitor’s ear.
In the 115 years of its existence, the Hall has witnessed momentous, history-making events. Among the recent ones: In 2008, the Conference Hall hosted two pivotal ocean conservation events: the first Congress on ocean acidification, where 155 scientists issued the Monaco Appeal to world leaders, and a conference on Mediterranean bluefin tuna that led to successful fishing quotas and species recovery. Two years later, the Monaco Blue Initiative was launched, creating an annual gathering of ocean stakeholders that remains essential today. And in 2019, the hall presented the IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere, providing vital scientific guidance for climate policy.
Alongside its hundreds of thousands of artifacts and dozens of aquariums, the museum offers year-round exhibitions and special events, such as the current immersive 2050 experience. As a family-friendly place conscious of its mission to educate young visitors playfully, there are numerous interactive activities throughout the year and during all school holidays.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Open daily 10 am to 6 pm
Information on admission and pre-booking available on the museum website
Visit the Musée Océanographique de Monaco website: https://musee.oceano.org/
CONTACT DETAILS
Musée Océanographique
Av. Saint-Martin
98000 Monaco
Tel: +377 93 15 36 00
All images courtesy and © Musée Océanographique unless otherwise stated
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