Fontvieille is the newest of the four traditional districts in the principality of Monaco, and one of ten Wards for modern administrative purposes. It is located in the western part of Monaco.
In contrast to the other city districts Monaco-Ville, Monte Carlo and La Condamine, Fontvieille was constructed, after Italian architect Manfredi Nicoletti’s design, almost entirely on artificially reclaimed land and thus represents one of the younger parts of the principality. In order to combat the chronic land shortage in the extremely densely populated principality, the work was begun in 1966 to create new land in the Mediterranean Sea southwest of le rocher. In 1981, the then Crown Prince Albert (since April 6, 2005 Albert II, Prince of Monaco) laid the cornerstone for the new city quarter.
The existence of Fontvieille, and its many public works projects, relates substantially to former Prince of Monaco, Prince Rainier III’s reputation as the Builder Prince.
Fontvieille represents the southwestern portion of the city state, which in an area of 0.13 mi². accommodates 3,900 inhabitants (about one-tenth the population of the country).
Source: Wikipedia
Photo Credit: Mikael
