Manor house in Armainvilliers region. - One of the world's most expensive estates, featuring 100 rooms, a former royal owner, and 1000 hectares of land, can be purchased in France.
A few luxury homes are worth hundreds of millions. For instance, there's "The Holme" in London's Regent's Park, the penthouse at 432 Park Avenue in New York, and Jack Warner's old villa in Beverly Hills. But a "closed market" ad may overshadow them all. Mansion Global reports that the French Château d'Armainvilliers is being sold for a staggering 425 million euros. The owner's identity is unknown, but they're working with the estate agent Ignace Meuwissen to sell it secretly.
If Meuwissen pulls off this sale, it would be one of the most expensive house deals ever. Very few properties have sold for nearly this amount. However, only a few buildings were likely more expensive when they were built, like Mukesh Ambani's Antilia structure. Yet, the owner is still living there, and it's never been sold.
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The history of the Château d'Armainvilliers
Armainvilliers Castle dates back to the 12th century and was the seat of the lords of Tournan and Gretz-Armainvilliers, among other nobles. The complex was damaged during the French Revolution. In the 19th century, it was restored by a noble family, and it was part of the Rothschild empire from 1877.
Baron Edmond James de Rothschild expanded the estate and land. The current area covers approximately 1000 hectares. The house offers 100 rooms across three floors, 17 bedrooms, a hair salon, a hammam, stables for up to 50 horses, accommodations for servants, and numerous other structures spread across the expansive property. The house also comes equipped with a dental clinic, a pharmacy, and other medical facilities. This could have originated from the First World War when the property served as a hospital.
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The castle with its royal past
The Moroccan-inspired interior design was already in place when the King of Morocco stayed there. The house has remained untouched since 2008, according to estate agent Ignace Meuwissen. The house has something called "The Metro," a tunnel network with storage rooms, kitchens, and other facilities.
Meuwissen thinks the location sets the property apart. It's about 50 kilometers southeast of the Eiffel Tower, just outside Paris. The drive to the city's center takes roughly an hour. The grounds are three times the size of Central Park in New York. In addition, there's a lake, making it a unique property. Meuwissen envisions developing the area with more houses, villas, shopping centers, and possibly a golf course. He's already got interested parties, including one from Eastern Europe, three from Asia, and one from Mongolia.
The current record-holder for a house sale is another palace, Château Louis XIV. It's owned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who bought it in 2015 for around 275 million euros from Cogemad, the real estate company of Emad Khashoggi, his cousin. However, the Château d'Armainvilliers could blow that record away if Meuwissen completes the sale. Many experts doubt, though, that someone will pay the world's highest price for this Moroccan-style palace.
Expert sources in high-end real estate and castles from "Le Figaro" say the price is too high and dub the offer "outlandish." One of these experts claims they could've purchased it for significantly less money two years ago, but they didn't choose to. A different expert believes a sale of 425 million euros would likely draw attention from the state land and development firm Société d'aménagement foncier et d'établissement rural (Safer), who would assess whether the property is overvalued. When purchasing land in France, one typically needs approval from this authority.
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Source: www.stern.de
