Written and graphic heritage

Part of the collections of written and graphic heritage is accessible online. This documentary heritage relating to the history of Monaco is made up of sources that are vital to the knowledge and promotion of Monegasque heritage.

Established in 1977 by Franck Biancheri, who was then the curator of the Archives and Library of the Prince’s Palace, the Annales monégasques provide a substantive review of the history of Monaco and its princes, illustrated by a rich iconography, which is rare in a learned publication. Published once a year, each study is now accompanied by a trilingual (French/Italian/English) summary. 
Annales Monégasques website

Six old periodicals published between 1897 and 1963 are available to the public in digital versions via the Multimedia Library’s website. These publications provide a greater insight into the history of the Principality from the Belle Époque to the 1960s. The selection of titles comprises two daily newspapers – Le Petit Monégasque and La Gazette de Monaco et de Monte-Carlo – and four weekly glossy magazines – the Revue de la Riviera illustrée, Journal de la Corniche, Monaco Revue and Rives d’Azur.
They can be searched by keyword, title and year. Filters (year, month) can also be used to facilitate browsing. 

The Multimedia Library plans to continue digitising old local newspapers and magazines for the purposes of preventive conservation and promoting heritage.
Multimedia Library website

The Principality of Monaco’s Directory was published for the first time in 1877, printed using the Journal de Monaco presses under the aegis of the government. In 1834, however, a private initiative, which was never followed up, predated this publication, under the title "Almanac of the Principality of Monaco". 

The Directory provides an annual list of official functions, as well as details of businesses, a wealth of statistical and socio-economic information, and historical and tourist notices. It included a map until 1940. The Directory switched to a more exclusively institutional and administrative purpose in the second half of the twentieth century.

With the publication online of the Journal de Monaco website in 2016, the Consultative Committee on the State Archives issued a recommendation on 14 October 2015 suggesting that editions of the Official Directory of the Principality of Monaco should be made public, promoting scanning and digitisation of the publications to encourage their use. The collection of the Archives and Library of the Prince’s Palace was digitised with this purpose in mind, with gaps supplemented using the collections of the Central Records Office (SCADA) and the Monaco Multimedia Library Regional Collection. A total of 109 paper editions of the Official Directory published between 1877 and 2004 have now been made available online, together with the electronic editions of the Official Directory published since 2011.
Official Directory Archives website

This work was begun in 1923 by Father Louis Frolla, when the committee was established, and completed in 1983 by Louis Barral. More than just a work of reference, it bears witness to a part of the Principality’s history. 

In 2024, to mark its eightieth anniversary, the National Committee for Monegasque Traditions decided to have the dictionary reissued, as it had long become out-of-print, unavailable, untraceable or lost in several family libraries.  
Dictionary of the Monegasque Language website

Essentially consisting of audiovisual materials linked to the Principality of Monaco and regularly added to, the Institute’s collections also bring together other filmed or recorded materials that are conserved in the name of protecting international film and audiovisual heritage. Including works of fiction, documentaries, current events, sound archives and televised news, the collection is enormously varied and gives pride of place to amateur film. The Institute also collects documents relating to cinema and the history of cinema, including photographs, posters, periodicals and books, and antique equipment. This "non-film" portion is made up of donations, deposits and acquisitions.
Collections of the Monaco Audiovisual website

The Archives of Prince Albert I can be explored through six themes: Life Story, Sovereign, Commitments, Interests, Bibliography, Commemorations. The documentation area features the iconic people and letters from the Prince’s life. Check out the chronological list of Prince Albert I’s books and links that will allow you to access them.
Prince’s Palace Archives website

The Historical Sites of the Grimaldis of Monaco association is a network which enables history and heritage buffs to discover 700 years of the history of the Grimaldi family.  
Historical Sites of the Grimaldis of Monaco website