Wow what a history Villa Les Cèdres has!
Built in 1830 this stunning villa initially known as Villa Les Oiseaux boasts a fascinating past. It started as a simple home. A Jewish family the Pollonnais owned it. They were carpet merchants from Nice. They expanded the villa considerably. The property included a thriving olive farm. Many of those original trees still stand today.
In 1904 King Leopold II of Belgium purchased the villa. He transformed it into something magnificent. He renamed it Villa Les Cèdres. He didn’t live there himself though. It became a home for his much younger mistress Blanche Delacroix. She lived there alone waiting for her royal lover. The King forbade her from leaving or receiving visitors. One of their illegitimate sons was even born in Villa Les Cèdres.
King Leopold II employed the architect Aaron Messiah to expand the villa. A new three-story building was added. A grand peristyle with massive pillars was a centerpiece of the redesign. A bronze statue of Athena stood guard at the entrance. Inside lavish rooms chandeliers and French doors created a decadent Belle Epoque atmosphere. The library housed 3000 books on flora and naturalism including a priceless 1640 botanical codex.
The gardens underwent equally impressive transformations. Landscape architects Harold Peto and Jules Vacherot were in charge. A 2 kilometer riding path was created for the King’s private use. A 50-meter swimming pool was carved into the rock. The gardens now house over 20000 plant species making it the largest private botanical garden in the world.
After the King’s death Blanche Delacroix was evicted. The Marnier-Lapostolle family acquired Villa Les Cèdres in 1924. They used the land to cultivate plants and oranges for their famous Grand Marnier liqueur. The company was eventually bought by Campari in 2016. They sold the villa in 2019 to Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov for 200 million euros.
Villa Les Cèdres truly is a captivating place. Its history is full of romance intrigue and extravagance. It’s a testament to the power of beauty and the enduring allure of the French Riviera. It deserves every bit of its fame.