Château Rothschild

The Château Rothschild is an historic château in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, France.

Château Rothschild
Château Rothschild in 2012
Design and construction
ArchitectJoseph-Armand Berthelin

History

The château was built in 1855 for banker James Mayer de Rothschild.[1] It was designed by architect Joseph-Armand Berthelin.[1] Guests included composer Frédéric Chopin, who composed a sonata at the château, as well as President Adolphe Thiers and Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.[2]

It was inherited by James's son, Edmond James de Rothschild.[2] After Edmond's death in 1934, the Rothschild family no longer lived at the château, even though his daughter, Alexandrine de Rothschild, took care of the grounds surrounding it.[2]

During World War II, the château was taken over by the Kriegsmarine, the Nazi Navy.[2] After the liberation of France, it was used by American forces.[2] The Kriegsmarine and US forces also used another Rothschild residence, the Château de la Muette 3.5km away on the edge of Paris.

It was acquired by Saudi Prince Khalid I Abdulaziz al-Ibrahim in 1986.[3][4]

The château was sold to French property developer Novaxia in 2016. After 37 years of neglect, the Château Rothschild will be restored, with work beginning in 2020.

References
  1. French Ministry of Culture: Château Rothschild
  2. Boulogne. L'ancien château des Rothschild attend son sauveur, Le Parisien, August 5, 2014
  3. Olivier Bossut, Le prince saoudien va sauver le château Rothschild, Le Parisien, September 8, 2003
  4. A Boulogne, le prince saoudien promet de réparer son château, 20 minutes, September 10, 2003


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.