Monaco’s
Naval Museum is the result of one man’s passion. From a very early age,
Professor Claude Pallanca dreamed of sailing and meticulously built model
ships. During his military service, he was assigned to the Jeanne d’Arc as
a dental surgeon, where he established friendships with many sailors and naval
officers, and his passion for boats and the sea grew.
The museum is currently closed for refurbishment (for an indefinite period).
A little history
Over
the years, he gathered and built a remarkable collection, which, thanks to
assistance from H.S.H. Prince Rainier III of Monaco, the Monegasque Government
and the friendship of His Excellency Mr Bernard Fautrier and Mr Charles
Ballerio, culminated in 1993 in the creation of the Naval Museum, a veritable
encyclopaedia of all things maritime.
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An extraordinary collection of more than 250 model ships, paintings and maritime objects
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Monaco’s Naval Museum, founded in 1993, exhibits an
extraordinary collection of more than 250 model ships, paintings and maritime
objects, dating from ancient times to the present day and enriched by the loan
of numerous antique models from the magnificent personal collection of H.S.H.
Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
In its entirety, the collection includes more than
1,200 scale models as well as hundreds of navy-related objects. Furthermore,
over the last few years Professor Pallanca has added to this unique collection
with paintings illustrating ships and aircraft from the Second World War. He
currently has 550.
The foremost characteristic of the Naval Museum is
that it is an international museum, dedicated to all navies from ancient times
to our own era. Among the most remarkable exhibits, you can see a funerary boat
found in an Egyptian tomb, classical Roman and Greek vessels, and liners such
as the Titanic and the France. Also on display are models of
training ships such as the Amerigo Vespucci and the Belem, not to
mention numerous warships, from the Jeanne d’Arc to the battleship Missouri,
via impressive aircraft carriers like the Nimitz, which is more than
five metres long. The Museum also has a large number of submarines from a
variety of different countries, as well as a minelayer and a Maiale manned
torpedo from the Second World War.
OPEN DAILY FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM
(except
1 January and 25 December).
Admission:
- Adults: €4
- Groups (10+ people): €2.50/person
- Children: €2.50
- Groups (10+ people): €1.50/person