The country of Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world, but is really famous due to its immense wealth. It’s a 1,95 square kilometres small dukedom at the coast of the Mediterranean, squeezed between France and the Azorean coast. It’s only 10,6 kilometres away from Italian boarder as well. It’s the most densely inhabited country in the world and is made up mostly of the old town. There are several newer buildings constructed between old ones, where mostly casinos are located. With the lack of living space city is expanding to the sea. The infrastructure is mostly underground, among other things the railway.
The beginning of the dukedom of Monaco
The area of modern day Monaco was used as a hideaway by the ancient people, as the hills surrounding it are perfect to form a sanctuary. In the 6th century BCE the territory was part of the Greek cultural circle and fell under the Roman rule later on. For a short time it was also French. But it was at the time when Monaco became part of Genova as one of its colonies that we can talk about the beginning of the modern Monaco. Events took place then that in a way still shape the country today. It was in this time that the first fortress was constructed and that’s how the family Grimaldi gained control of the city. The founder of the Monaco dukedom was Francesco Grimaldi, also known as cunning. He conquered the fortress in an attack, where he lead men dressed as hooded monks of the Capuchin order (in Italian – Monaco). In the year 1419 the Grimaldi’s bought the territory of Monaco from the Aragon dynasty. Until 1793 the dukedom was more or less autonomous, although it was under a vassal influence of the French kings. The dukedom was also pray to many invasion, tha latter during 2nd World War when Italian forces occupied the city, and after Italian capitulation German forces moved in. In 1993 Monaco officially became a full member of United Nations with a the power of vote. There’s also a treaty between France and the constitutional monarchy of Monaco that even if there would be no heir to the throne, the country would still remain independent. This is not an unusual claim, if we consider that the prime minister of Monaco (up until 2002) had to be a French citizen, although approved by the duke, nominated by the French government.
The country for the rich
The main reason for so many rich people moving into Monaco is its favourable tax policy. The wealth of the nation comes from gambling and also tourism, which we must understand in the broader sense – the most famous event attracting people is the Formula 1 Grand Prix race. There are cars to be seen on the streets of Monaco, you could hardly see anywhere else. Just a walk among the streets with fascinating glitter or the rich is an experience inviting tourists. This gets even more impressive upon reaching the shore and seeing the yachts, which are often nothing shy of floating villas.
Instead of clothing many people prefer window shopping for cars. There’s Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Bentley, and many more, to feat your eyes upon. The tall apartment buildings have receptions with staff present all day and there are no names on the doorbells – just the numbers. There are also boutiques, jewellery shops, hotels and restaurants showing off the wealth, as a price for a full dinner can often top 1000€. Lately it’s become a trend for rich single women to buy apartments there and currently every second bank account of Monaco is owned by a woman.
Due to the high concentration of wealth and rich people, Monaco is a country that places a lot of pride in its security. Safety against criminal is here much higher than in many other places in the world. So many rich people come here for the tax policy and safety, and make Monaco their haven. Police constantly watches every inch of the city with hundreds of cameras, so even a pickpocket would get caught right away.
Circuit de Monaco
Circuit de Monaco is the city racing circuit on the public road. The idea for a road race originated in 1929, when the president of the Monaco automobile club – Anthony Noghes – organized a formula 1 race. The circuit is often called Monte Carlo and is especially popular because it’s narrow and wavy. It gives advantage to more skilled drivers not so much to the drivers with the strongest car. The biggest challenge is overtaking, as the strip is narrow and quite dangerous. There’s also another challenge for competitors – the change between daylight and the tunnel. The change of light takes some time to adjust and those moments can always be problematic at high speeds. The racing track in Monaco cannot be compared to any other, as it’s more dangerous, but it only claimed one fatality. Still as the race has its historical meaning and is the only one in the city circuit, it’s a classic on the calendar of the Grand Prix caravan. Usually it stands that a pole position in Monaco also means the win in the race. But there are collisions, strategy of pit stops and other things that can cause or gain a victory. Many like to poke fun of the track by comparing it to a bicycle race in your bathroom, or a helicopter chase in the living room.
Monaco is a place that causes many visitor so dream about such a glamorous lifestyle, with fancy cars, gambling, yachts, expensive restaurants… But happiness does not derive from money. Many rich people are obsessed with gathering money and are just worried they’ll run out in the future. Many are constantly scared what will happen to them. There are also many celebrities that just can’t enjoy life as most of us and are constrained to their gilded cages and can only appear in public with heavy protection of bodyguards. So being rich is not enough to also be happy.
