This palatial property’s staggering price makes it one of the most expensive homes in the world. And guess what: It’s actually a palace.
Outside of Paris, a castle that has been owned by a Rothschild family member and a king of Morocco is quietly being sold off-market with a jaw-dropping price tag of $452 million, Mansion Global first reported.
That sky-high asking price also buys centuries of history. The property dates to the 1100s, when it was a medieval stronghold known as Armainvilliers Castle, according to a post on the Rothschild Archive.
After being partially destroyed during the French Revolution, it was restored in the mid-1800s before being purchased in 1877 by Edmond de Rothschild, who replaced the castle with a modern structure and grew the grounds from slightly less than 620 acres to well more than 9,700.
After Edmond’s passing in 1934, the manor passed to his son, who in turn passed it to his son — who then sold the property to the late Hassan II, the King of Morocco, in the 1980s.
In 2008, long after the king’s death in 1999, Hassan II’s son sold the Chateau d’Armainvilliers for €200 million to “an owner from the Middle East” who has never utilized it, Ignace Meuwissen, co-founder of off-market luxury real estate listing specialist Whisper Auctions told Mansion Global.
Meuwissen is handling the sale of the castle, which today stands on close to 2,500 acres. The main house features no fewer than 100 rooms, three elevators, 17 bedroom suites and various Moroccan design touches — such as ceiling motifs and ornamental light fixtures.
There are 36 buildings spread across the estate — and amenities include a hammam, a hairdressing salon, 50 horse stables, staff housing and a car park.
“The price reflects the uniqueness of the 1,000 hectares close to Paris, not solely the castle,” Meuwissen told The Post.
The current record-holder for the world’s priciest property, Chateau Louis XIV, is not far from the this offering. But it would be beat for the crown — it sold for more than €275 million in 2015 — should d’Armainvilliers get anywhere near its current asking price.
