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A castle outside Paris once owned by a member of the Rothschild family and, later, the King of Morocco has been quietly on sale for a staggering €425 million.

That cool amount – R8,7 billion – has made Château d’Armainvilliers, a stunning and spectacular mansion on the outskirts of Paris, the most expensive private home in the world.

Nine figures may be an eye-watering sum, but the abode, unlike most others, comes with 100 rooms and offers 2,500 square metres of living space, all spread across 1,000 hectares of land.

So you know, you get what you pay for and more. There’s even a private lake.

Image: The Whisperer

The palatial property was owned by the Rothschild banking empire in the late 19th century and then exchanged affluent hands later on, in the 1980s, to become the home of King Hassan II of Morocco, per Mansion Global:

Chateau d’Armainvilliers [sic] has a long history, beginning as a medieval stronghold in the 1100s and was later partially destroyed during the French Revolution, according to a brief history of the building on the Rothschild Archive. Notable ownership has included the noble Rochefoucauld Doudeauville family and Edmond de Rothschild, who replaced the castle and bought up additional acreage.

It’s during this time that the beautiful Château d’Armainvilliers levelled up with a hammam spa, a beauty and hairdressing salon, and a fully-equipped medical and dental facility. The Moroccan King also added touches like Moroccan mosaics, striking wall tiles, and a stable that could fit at least 50 horses.

Image: The Whisperer

Image: The Whisperer

Image: The Whisperer

Contributing to the grandeur of this opulent abode are three fancy floors with three elevators, five salons, and a whopping 17 themed bedroom suites. The state-of-the-art kitchen facilities are as impressive as they come, alonside housing facilities for staff members and 36 various parkland buildings.

Image: The Whisperer

Skip past this YouTuber’s unnecessarily meandering drive in the French countryside so that you can see the sprawling property from the 2:50 mark:

Why would the luxury have stopped there? At some point, a basement level comprising tunnels, kitchens, cold rooms, storage spaces, and staff quarters was added before selling the property for $215 million to a wealthy Middle Eastern buyer in 2008. This dude never used the property so it is back up for sale, with the owner telling Paris Match magazine:

“It is the most expensive castle in France and perhaps in the world. The price of €425 million is justified by the property itself but also by the 1,000-hectare land which offers numerous possibilities. An investor could build thousands of apartments there if he wanted.”

Indeed the estate could be home to a golf course, apartments, villas and even shopping malls, if one is so inclined.

Ignace Meuwissen, a luxury real estate advisor and co-founder of Whisper Auctions, which specialises in off-market luxury real estate transactions, is handling the sale of the castle.

“The property will likely be sold behind the scenes,” said Meuwissen, who intends to share it through his network. “Most properties we sell are on a whispering basis; the properties change owners mostly confidentiality.”

Some potential clients have already expressed interest, “including one from East Europe, three from Asia and one from Mongolia,” he said.

[source:mansionglobal]