Fontvieille, Monaco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fontvieille Funtanaveya  (Monégasque)
Ward of Monaco
Location in Monaco
Country	Monaco
Area
• Total	32.9516 ha (81.4252 acre)
Population  (2008)
• Total	3,602
• Density	10,931/km2 (28,310/sq mi)

Fontvieille in Monaco

Fontvieille is a special part of Monaco, a small country in Europe. It's the southernmost area of Monaco. What makes Fontvieille unique is that it was built on land that was created from the sea! This amazing project happened between the 1970s and 1990s. An Italian engineer named Gianfranco Gilardini and an architect named Manfredi Nicoletti helped design it.

How Fontvieille Was Built

Unlike other parts of Monaco, like Monaco-Ville or Monte Carlo, Fontvieille was almost entirely built on new land. This new land was created by filling in parts of the Mediterranean Sea. This process is called land reclamation. It was done to help Monaco, which is a very small country, have more space.

Work to create this new land began in 1966. In 1981, Prince Albert II, who was then the Crown Prince, laid the first stone for this new area.

The creation of Fontvieille shows why Prince Rainier III, a former Prince of Monaco, was known as the "Builder Prince." He was famous for starting many big building projects.

There are even plans to make Fontvieille bigger in the future. These plans were announced in 2009. They include building new hotels, offices, shops, and apartments. This would create homes for hundreds of new people.

Even though it's a newer area, apartments in Fontvieille can be very expensive. This shows how valuable land is in Monaco.

Geography and Nature

Fontvieille is in the southwest part of Monaco. It covers an area of about 33 hectares (which is about 81 acres). Around 3,600 people live here.

A large part of Fontvieille, about 4 hectares (9.9 acres), is a beautiful green space. This area is called the Fontvieille Park and Princess Grace Rose Garden. It's a lovely place to visit.

Fontvieille also shares a border with France to the south. Close by, you can find the Didier Deschamps Stadium and the Port of Cap d'Ail.

Sports and Activities

Fontvieille is a hub for sports in Monaco. It's home to the Stade Louis II (Louis II Stadium). This stadium is where AS Monaco FC, a famous football club, plays its home games. AS Monaco FC is one of the most successful teams in the French national league.

There's also a smaller indoor sports arena called Salle Gaston Médecin. This arena is where the basketball team AS Monaco Basket plays. It also hosts many other sports events, like handball, volleyball, and gymnastics.

Monaco's only racing team, ROKiT Venturi Racing, is also based in Fontvieille. This team competes in the FIA Formula E World Championship, which uses electric racing cars.

Interesting Places to Visit

Fontvieille has several interesting landmarks:

• The Monaco Heliport is located here. It offers quick helicopter rides to Nice Airport in France. From Nice, you can catch flights to many major cities around the world.
• The Monaco Top Cars Collection is an amazing automobile museum. It displays a collection of classic cars.
• The Museum of Stamps and Coins shows off Monaco's money history, going all the way back to 1640. It also tells the story of how mail has been sent in Monaco.
• The Columbus Hotel Monaco is in Fontvieille. It used to be owned by David Coulthard, a famous racing driver.
• Venturi and its company Voxan have their main offices in Fontvieille. They are known for making electric vehicles.

Gallery

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  The heliport

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  A top view of the stadium

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  Fontvieville harbour

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  Entrance to the automobile museum

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  Princess Grace Rose Garden

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  The harbour at dusk

Famous People from Fontvieille

See also

In Spanish: Fontvieille (Mónaco) para niños