Prince's Palace (Palais du Prince)

The Prince's Palace is built on the site of the original fortress and ramparts erected by wealthy Genoese merchants in 1215. The official private residence of the Prince of Monaco, the palace plays an important role in the lives of the prince and his subjects, and the State Apartments are open for public visits part of the year. The palace has been in use for more than 700 years and the courtyard is opened to celebrate important events such as Grimaldi weddings, births and the annual children's Christmas party.

Throughout the centuries it has been transformed into one of the most luxurious residences in the style of Louis XIV. One must pass through the Mirror Gallery in order to enter the state apartments, with the dramatic effect of the mirrors in imitation of Versailles, and 16th century frescoes of mythological figures adorn the gallery walls.

Legend has it that in January 1297 François Grimaldi took shelter at the fortress disguised as a monk; once admitted, he and his men captured the castle and took it over as their stronghold. The fortress has a long, dramatic history defending the territory from attacks by other states, and was repeatedly bombarded, damaged and restored.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Monte Carlo and the French Riviera became synonymous with Monaco as the decadent playground of the rich and glamorous. So decadent was the principality that Queen Victoria refused to make a courtesy social call at the palace when she first began visiting the French Riviera in 1882. Prince Rainier III is credited with restoring the Palace to its former glory and magnificent state in which it stands today.

Hollywood film star Grace Kelly brought glamour when she became chatelaine to the palace in 1956, and twenty years after her death a new Princess Consort, Miss Charlene Wittstock, married the current Prince of Monaco in July 2011.