Another sight to visit is the Oceanographic Museum: the museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. The Oceanographic Museum was inaugurated in 1910 by Monaco's biggest reformator, Prince Albert I. This monumental architecural work of art has an impressive façade towering above the sea. The structure towers over the sea at a height of 279 feet (85.04 meters). It took 11 years to build, using 100,000 tons of stone from La Turbie.
The museum houses remarkable collections of various species of sea fauna (starfish, seahorses, turtles, jellyfish, crabs, lobsters, rays, sharks, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, eels, cuttlefish etc.) both stuffed and in skeletal form. The museum's holdings also include a great variety of sea related objects, including model ships, sea animal skeletons, tools, weapons, etc.
An aquarium is housed in the basement of the museum which showcases a spectacular array of flora and fauna. 4000 species of fish and over 200 families of invertebrates can be seen. It features a presentation of Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystems.
Jacques Cousteau was its director for many years, beginning in 1957. I didn't know that, for instance.
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