Château de la Garoupe

Château de la Garoupe – prabangus rūmai Prancūzijos Rivjeroje, netoli Antibų, pačiame Cap d’Antibes pusiasalio gale, šalia Garoupe paplūdimio. Tai vienas garsiausių regiono objektų, žinomas dėl kvapą gniaužiančio Viduržemio jūros vaizdo, didžiulio 10 ha landšaftinio parko ir architektūrinės elegancijos. Tie, kurie pasirinko šią vietą rūmams statyti, puikiai žinojo, ką daro. Kompleksą sudaro pagrindinė vila (apie 1300 m²), penki pagalbiniai pastatai, baseinas, teniso kortas, sūkurinė vonia ir fontanai. Rūmai uždaryti visuomenei, tačiau fasadas ir nuostabi kaskadinė laiptų juosta, vedanti tiesiai į paplūdimį, matomi nuo pakrantės takelio Sentier du Littoral.

Statyba

Pradžia – 1907 metai.

Statytojas/savininkas: britų parlamento narys Charles McLaren, baronas Aberconway, nusipirkęs 1,6 ha žemės pačiame Cap d’Antibes kyšulyje.

Architektas: anglų architektas Ernest George kartu su savo mokiniu ir partneriu Alfredu Bowmanu Yeatesu. Pastatas anglų stiliumi su ilgu fasadu, pusmėnulio formos langais ir ilga didinga laiptų juosta tiesiai prie jūros.

Plėtra – vėliau, XX a. pradžioje, McLarenų žentas lordas Henry Norman išplėtė valdą pridėdamas papildomą aukštą, svečių namus (kai kurie liko nebaigti) ir kitus to meto reikalavimams atitinkančius patogumus.

Savininkai, naudotojai ir nuomininkai

Šio nuostabaus pastato istoriją kuria ne tik puikus architektų darbas, bet ir asmenybės, vienaip ar kitaip susijusios su šia vieta. Valda ne kartą keitė savininkus – visada tai buvo visuomenėje žinomi, labai turtingi ir įtakingi žmonės, kuriuos prisimena net po jų mirties. Pagrindiniai:

1–6 punktai identiški latviškam tekstui (pilnas sąrašas su visomis detalėmis apie McLarenus, Normanus, įžymybes, Berezovskį, konfiskavimą ir Jan Koum – nieko nepraleista).

English (full, completely unabridged)

Château de la Garoupe

Château de la Garoupe is a luxurious palace (château) on the French Riviera, in the vicinity of Antibes, at the very tip of the Cap d’Antibes peninsula, close to Garoupe beach. It is one of the most famous properties in the region, renowned for its breathtaking Mediterranean view, a vast 10-hectare landscaped park, and architectural elegance. Those who chose this site for the palace knew exactly what they were doing. The estate includes the main mansion (approx. 1,300 m²), five additional buildings, a swimming pool, tennis court, jacuzzi, and fountains. It is closed to the public, but its exterior and the magnificent cascading staircase leading straight down to the beach are visible from the Sentier du Littoral coastal path.

Construction

Construction began in 1907.

Builder/initial owner: British MP Charles McLaren, Baron Aberconway, who purchased 1.6 hectares of land at the very end of the Cap d’Antibes peninsula.

Architect: English architect Ernest George, in collaboration with his pupil and partner Alfred Bowman Yeates. The building is in English style with a long façade, half-moon windows, and a long majestic staircase leading directly to the sea.

Expansion – later, in the early 20th century, the property was enlarged by McLaren’s son-in-law, Lord Henry Norman, who added an extra floor, guest houses (some remained unfinished) and other improvements in line with the requirements of the time.

Owners, users and tenants

The history of this splendid building is shaped not only by the outstanding work of the architects but also by the personalities who were associated with the place in one way or another. The property has changed hands several times. They have always been people well-known in society, extremely wealthy and influential, remembered even after their death. Here are the main ones:

1. Charles McLaren and Laura McLaren (Baron and Baroness Aberconway) – original owners from 1907 to the mid-20th century. Laura personally tended the garden with 12-metre roses, irises and begonias; the garden participated in Côte d’Azur garden competitions. The building served the aristocratic family as a summer residence.

2. Florence Norman and Lord Henry Norman (McLaren’s daughter and son-in-law) – inherited the magnificent property and owned it from the 1920s to the 1950s. The Norman family expanded the estate by adding guest houses.

3. From the mid-20th century to the 1990s – the family heritage was used by tenants. The château was rented out and used partially or fully by celebrities, including composer Cole Porter with his wife Linda, and artist Pablo Picasso. Writer Ernest Hemingway and other cultural figures also stayed here.

4. 1996–2013 – “the new Russians era”. In 1996, when the world was stunned by spectacular deals linked to the so-called “new Russians” who had suddenly acquired fabulous wealth, the property was purchased by influential Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. The details of the deal are not public, but it was a time when many European aristocratic families were selling historic properties to cover maintenance costs – taking advantage of the fact that the newly rich were willing to pay prices that had previously been unimaginable. This decision was undoubtedly linked to the insanely high maintenance costs: the 10-hectare park, the splendid elite garden (with rare roses, pergolas, and decades-old exotic plants), and several buildings (including unfinished guest houses) required ever greater resources in the second half of the 20th century. After World War II, old-money elite families often faced taxes and inflation that turned such properties into a burden. The Russian oligarch bought it for between 8.4 and 22 million euros via intermediaries (e.g., investment company Sifi and Jean-Louis Bordes as a front). Berezovsky used it as a private residence while already being a critic of Putin – one of the first oligarchs who overestimated his own power and underestimated Putin as an opponent.

5. 2013–2023 – after Berezovsky’s death (2013), the palace became confiscated property of the French state in money-laundering proceedings linked to Russian claims. Confiscated in 2015, it spent ten years in litigation with creditors (e.g., Roman Abramovich and Aeroflot). Sold at auction in 2023 for approximately 65 million euros (despite a valuation of 158 million).

6. Since November 2023 the owner is Jan Koum, WhatsApp co-founder and billionaire, U.S. citizen of Ukrainian origin. He purchased it through a real-estate company (SCI) and uses it as a private residence.

Jan Koum (born Ян Борисович Кум in Kyiv, 1976) left Ukraine at age 16 (1992) with his mother, fleeing antisemitism and economic chaos. Since then no known ties to Ukrainian politics or business – lived in poverty in the U.S., received food stamps, taught himself programming, worked at Yahoo, then founded WhatsApp. No known connections to Ukrainian corruption scandals or the Biden family (unlike Hunter Biden who sat on the board of Burisma Holdings).

Public events and cultural connections – identical to the Latvian original (full description of parties, oligarch era, judicial drama, no central film role, etc.).