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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur
  4. Alpes-Maritimes
  5. 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer

  6. Villa La Leopolda

Villa La Leopolda dans les Alpes-Maritimes

Villa La Leopolda


    06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer
Museums of France
All the castles of France
Photo de Villa La Leopolda
Miniwark

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1902
Acquisition by Leopold II
1915
War hospital
1919
Purchase by Thérèse Vitali
1931
Transformation by Codman
2008
Aborted sale in Prokhorov
2012
Confirmation of ownership
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Léopold II de Belgique - King and first owner Buyer in 1902, sponsor of the villa.
Albert Ier de Belgique - Successor and Benefactor Turns the estate into a hospital in 1915.
Thérèse Vitali - Countess of Beauchamp Owner in 1919, modernizes the premises.
Ogden Codman - American architect Rename the villa in 1931.
Edmond Safra - Lebanese businessman Owner in 1985, husband of Lily Safra.
Lily Safra - Last known owner Winner of the 2012 litigation, charitable donor.

Origin and history

Villa La Leopolda is an emblematic palace located on the heights of Villefranche-sur-Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, between Nice and Monaco. Acquired in 1902 for a symbolic franc by King Leopold II of Belgium, it is built with a central turret and surrounded by a park of 8 hectares, planted with more than 1,200 trees (olive trees, cypress trees, citrus trees). The gardens, furnished by Élie Lainé, offer stunning views of Cape Ferrat and the Mediterranean, with 1.2 km of perimeter.

In 1915, the estate was transformed into a temporary hospital by Albert I of Belgium for the victims of the First World War. In 1919, Thérèse Vitali, Countess of Beauchamp, acquired and added two pavilions connected by a semicircular portal (1924), as well as an annex villa. The gardens were renovated, and the property changed hands several times, including the American architect Ogden Codman, who gave it its present dimensions in 1931.

His famous owners include Canadian financier Izaak Walton Killam (1951), Fiat Gianni Agnelli's 1950s leader, and banker Edmond Safra (1985). In 2008, an aborted sale of €390 million to the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov revealed its exceptional value. The resulting legal dispute led in 2012 to the confirmation of the property of Lily Safra, widow of Edmond Safra, who gave the 39 million euro guarantee to charitable organizations.

The villa, classified in the heritage inventory (Merimée reference IA06001559), symbolizes the fascist of the French Riviera. Its park, requiring more than 50 gardeners, and its outbuildings make it a unique architectural and landscaped complex, mixing royal history, private transformations and contemporary heritage issues.

External links

Page Wikipedia