25Arenas and stadiums

Stade Louis II

Time on site: 15 min
Opening hours: Guided tours on some non match days, booking required.

This large stadium with its distinctive arches is the Stade Louis II, opened in 1985 in Fontvieille. It is named after Prince Louis II, who reigned from 1922 to 1949 and had built an earlier stadium nearby in 1939. It is home to AS Monaco, the principality’s football club, several times French champion, where many young talents grew into world stars. The stadium long hosted the UEFA Super Cup and also stages the Herculis athletics meeting, where several world records have been broken. Its secret is surprising: beneath the pitch lie car parks and a vast sports complex with an Olympic pool, gyms and even offices. In such a small country every square metre counts! If you love sport, ask about behind the scenes tours and the match calendar; the atmosphere is warm.

Listen to the story

Narration from the app, synthetic voice.

History

The story begins in 1939, when Prince Louis II built the principality’s first stadium, with about 13,000 places, already bearing his name. Forty years later, in 1979, Prince Rainier III decided to give Monaco a proper sports complex in the new district of Fontvieille, itself reclaimed from the sea. He brought in architects from Paris and set one clear principle: in such a small country, the facility had to serve many sports at once.

Work began in May 1981 and was completed in 1984. Rainier III inaugurated the new stadium on 25 January 1985. The very next day, AS Monaco played its first match there, against RC Lens, and won 3 to 0. The old stadium was then demolished: the Fontvieille shopping centre, two museums and a multipurpose hall now stand in its place.

Art and architecture

The building site required impressive quantities: 120,000 cubic metres of concrete, 9,000 tonnes of iron and 2,000 tonnes of steel framework, all set on land reclaimed from the sea. The stadium’s visual signature is the row of great arches behind one of the goals. They are not just decorative: they ventilate the ground, and they are credited to the architect Henri Pottier.

The most surprising part is hidden. The natural pitch, 105 by 68 metres, sits on the roof of a car park, 8.35 metres above street level. Beneath the stands you will find the Gaston Médecin sports hall, the Prince Albert II aquatic centre with its Olympic pool and diving pool, administrative offices and even a university, the International University of Monaco.

Anecdotes

This raised pitch has given the groundsmen plenty of trouble: without deep soil it suffers easily, and the club has had to use mobile lighting rigs that imitate sunlight to help the grass grow.

The stadium hosted the UEFA Super Cup in 1986, then every year from 1998 to 2012. Since 1987 it has staged the Herculis athletics meeting, now part of the Diamond League, where world records have been broken. It has also seen world title boxing fights, a Muse concert on 12 July 2007, and an Eagles concert during the celebrations for the wedding of Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock.

What to look for

Take time to look at the arches from Avenue des Castelans, which runs around the complex: it is the best place to grasp the size of the building. Notice too that the western side of the stadium almost touches the French border, towards Cap-d’Ail. If the gates are open on a match night, you will find a stadium on a human scale, where you sit close to the pitch.

Practical

The stadium is in the Fontvieille district, on Avenue des Castelans. On foot, allow about ten minutes from Fontvieille harbour, walking past the district’s buildings. Access inside depends on events: matches, athletics meetings and competitions in the Gaston Médecin hall. For any guided tours, tickets and schedules, please check the official website of AS Monaco or of the stadium, as times vary with the season.

Nearby

Nearby you can visit Fontvieille harbour, the Princess Grace Rose Garden and the landscaped park, or the museums built on the site of the old stadium. Sports lovers may also be interested in the aquatic centre, open to the public on its own schedule. To go further, the articles on the Stade Louis II and on AS Monaco give details of the great matches and the records set on the track. The stadium also hosted the athletics events of the Games of the Small States of Europe in 1987 and 2007.