A Palace in the countryside

At the invitation of our friend Yasemin Onaner, wife of the Ambassador of Turkey, we had the privilege of visiting the residence, a palace located in what was the countryside of Passy until the 19th century and whose park extended to the Seine. It was the home of influential members of the nobility under the Royalty, the Duke of Lauzun, then Marie-Thérèse, Louise of Savoy Carignan, Princess of Lamballe, friend of Queen Marie Antoinette whose fate was tragic. She was brutally killed during the revolution
In the 19th century, the house became under the authority of Dr. Blanche, a famous "five stars" psychiatric clinic frequented by politicians, artists and writers including Nerval, Marie d’Agoult, the Countess of Castiglione. They came from all over the world! Baudelaire dreamed of staying there, but his mother found the rates unaffordable!
Literary and musical evenings embellished everyday life! Pianists Charles Gounod participated as well as George Bizet, Gabriel Fauré, Hector Berlioz.
As in Thomas Mann’s novel, Dr. Blanche’s patients, after they left the clinic, dreamed of coming back!

In the 20th century the Count of Limur, diplomat, pilot during the first world war and his wife, one of the great American philanthropists Ethel Crocker, had this palace renovated with taste and meticulous respect for heritage. They also donated to the city of Paris the Maison de Balzac , which houses the eponymous museum.
Having acquiring the American nationality, the Count of Limur joined General de Gaulle and at the end of the war he invited General Eisenhower to establish his headquarters.
In 1946, at the instigation of a young Turkish diplomat, niece of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nevin Menemencioglu, the Turkish Republic rented and later bought this house.

This visit was also an opportunity to recall the long-standing diplomatic relations between France and Turkey, since Suleiman the Magnificent responded to the request for help of François 1er "our horse is saddled, our sword is girded"! , to the visit in 1867 of Sultan Abdulaziz at the invitation of Napoleon III, then the creation in 1868 of the French-speaking imperial high school Galatasaray which contributed largely to the training of the elites until the proclamation of The Republic in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He brought his country into modernity.
This beautiful morning ended with a delicious lunch with Turkish specialties, from Imam Bayaldi to a voluptuous dessert with a taste of rose petals ...

A memorable day for our group.

TREASURE OF FRENCH HERITAGE

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