Calcium carbonate monohydrate (monohydrocalcite) is prepared and structurally characterised by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS), thermal analysis, IR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. It is compared to hydrated phases of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) that have frequently been observed in biomineralisation. The crystal water is more strongly bound than in hydrated ACC phases, and monohydrocalcite can be distinguished from ACC by its IR spectrum. The EXAFS results suggest that monohydrocalcite is a suitable model for some biogenic and synthetic ACC phases, although not for all of them. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)