European Heritage Days: An immersive look at the polar regions

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation welcomed nearly a hundred people to Villa Girasole on Sunday, October 4, marking its fifth participation in the European Heritage Days in the Principality.

Echoing the 2026 theme "Heritage in Peril: Revive, Resist, Reinvent," the Foundation sought to highlight its work in the polar regions through the focus area "Polar Regions in Peril: Protect, Conserve, Perpetuate." As presented by Scientific Director Philippe Mondielli and Salomé Mormentyn, head of the Foundation’s Polar Initiative, each verb corresponded to a flagship program implemented in these areas. 

Regarding the protection of polar regions, the discussion highlighted the 2016 designation of the Ross Sea in Antarctica as a sanctuary – the world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) – an initiative for which Prince Albert II played a remarkable diplomatic role.

Conservation efforts were highlighted through the project led by the Ice Memory Foundation – and supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation – which aims to document and safeguard ice cores from threatened glaciers (in the Alps, Bolivia, Tajikistan, Svalbard, etc.). This initiative culminated in the January 2026 inauguration of a storage facility at the Franco-Italian Concordia station in Antarctica, creating a "global library" of climate history. 

Finally, the spotlight was placed on the local and indigenous populations of the Arctic. As the first victims of climate change yet also guardians of ancestral knowledge, they play a vital role in preserving polar ecosystems; many of the projects supported by the Foundation aim to assist them in implementing or strengthening solutions that respect their land and cultural practices.

In addition, photographs by John Weller from his "Peace Through Science" series – conceived as a plea for the protection of Antarctica, the climate, and the ocean – were  on display throughout the villa. Visitors also had the opportunity to view watercolors by artist and environmentalist Meg O’Hara, who took part in a research expedition along Greenland’s west coast (in the Arctic Ocean) aboard a sailboat, in partnership with 11th Hour Racing. This experience gave rise to "69° North – Greenland," a collection of paintings capturing landscapes of snow, ice, and freezing waters. As a delightful surprise for visitors, the artist was present to discuss her work and interact with them.