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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Günzburg hotel is a private hotel built in 1868 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, 7 rue de Tilsitt, at the initiative of Baron Joseph de Günzburg. Designed by the architect Charles Rohault de Fleury after plans by Jacques-Ignace Hittorff (dated 1853), it embodies the architectural opulence of the Second Empire. The facade on Tilsitt Street, decorated by sculptor Frédéric-Louis Bogino, celebrates agriculture and industry, while the interiors, decorated by Charles Chaplin, Alexandre Denuelle and Alexis-Joseph Mazerolle, reflect refined luxury. The hotel was then acquired in 1886 by Count Philippe Spiridion Vitali, who made it his residence and the seat of his Régie générale des chemins de fer.

Between 1965 and 1974, the building will house the Directorate of Social Affairs (DAGPB), before being partially classified as a Historic Monument in 1983 for its facades, roofs, honorary staircases and first floor lounges. Today owned by a private company, it retains its use of offices, while at the same time testifying, through its architecture and its preserved decorations, to the golden age of Parisian private hotels under Napoleon III.

The hotel's strategic location, close to the Place de l'Etoile (now Charles de Gaulle Square), highlighted its prestige. Its history reflects the changes in the capital, moving from aristocratic residences of the 19th century to administrative and economic uses. The protected elements, such as wrought iron ramps or decorated lounges, illustrate the exceptional craftsmanship of the era, mixing neoclassical influences and eclecticism characteristic of the reign of Napoleon III.

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