A mansion outside Paris that once belonged to a member of the Rothschild family and later to the King of Morocco is trading for a whopping $425 million (Rs 3,775 crore), according to Mansion Global.
That nine-figure price makes the Chateau d’Armainvilliers, located about 30 miles east of the Eiffel Tower, one of the most expensive houses in the world, according to Ignace Meuwissen, a luxury real estate consultant and co-founder of Whisper Auctions, which specializes in over-the-counter transactions of luxury properties. He is handling the chateau’s sale.
The Chateau d’Armainvilliers, which sits on nearly 2,500 acres of land, has a long history that began as a medieval fortress in the 1100s and was later partially destroyed during the French Revolution, according to a brief history of the building in the Rothschild archives. Notable owners included the noble Rochefoucauld Doudeauville family and Edmond de Rothschild, who replaced the chateau and bought up additional land. Much of the sprawling home’s current exterior was created during the Rothschilds’ ownership, including “the steep roofs and half-timbering on the upper floors, which bear a certain resemblance to the English cottage style,” according to the family’s archives.
According to Meuwissen, the Rothschilds sold Chateau d’Armainvilliers to King Hassan II of Morocco in the 1980s. The last time it changed hands was in 2008 when after King Hassan II died in 1999, his son took over the property and sold it for $200 million (Rs 16,70,69,60,000), according to Meuwissen.
“The property was purchased by a Middle Eastern owner but never used,” Meuwissen said via email. Mansion Global was unable to determine the owner.
The 100-room château has three floors with three elevators, five salons, 17 themed bedroom suites and a state-of-the-art kitchen. The property has a wealth of facilities including a hair salon, a hammam, private parking, stables for 50 horses, apartments for staff and 36 different park buildings. As pictures show, the chateau’s Moroccan interiors are still largely intact. “The property will probably be sold behind the scenes,” said Meuwissen, who plans to pass it on through his network. “Most properties we sell are sold in whispers; the owners usually change confidentially,” he added.
“Some potential clients have already expressed their interest, including one from Eastern Europe, three from Asia and one from Mongolia,” he said. “The property stands out for its size and development potential,” Meuwissen said. A golf course, apartments, villas and even shopping malls could be built on an area in France that is almost three times the size of New York City’s famous Central Park.
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