Prince Albert II attends the opening of the world’s first ice sanctuary in Antarctica
The ice sanctuary in Antarctica during its construction © Rocco Ascione - PNRA
Supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, a unique cave has been inaugurated in Antarctica to preserve humanity’s climate archives.
On 14 January 2026, Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the inauguration of an ice cave in Antarctica live on YouTube, marking a new milestone in his environmental commitment. As Honorary President of the Ice Memory Foundation, the Sovereign has supported this international scientific project since 2015, which aims to safeguard ice cores extracted from glaciers threatened by global warming.
A natural safe at -52°C
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation, major philanthropic partners in the project, made it possible to build the Ice Memory Sanctuary at the Franco-Italian Concordia station. This 35-metre-long cavern, dug five metres below the Antarctic surface, enjoys a constant temperature of around -52°C without any mechanical refrigeration system. “I had the privilege of travelling to Antarctica in 2009 and visiting the Concordia station during my expedition (…) My foundation has been involved in the Ice Memory initiative since its inception in 2015. Today, we have a historic responsibility to build a heritage of glacial archives for our children,” said Prince Albert II, speaking to the Ice Memory Foundation.
Millennia-old archives protected
The first two ice cores extracted from Mont Blanc and Grand Combin arrived at this sanctuary after a journey of more than fifty days. These samples contain atmospheric information accumulated over several centuries, even millennia. Other cores from the Andes, Pamir, Caucasus and Svalbard will join this shared heritage in the coming years.
