ABANDONED U.S Billionaire's Mansion With EVERYTHING LEFT

Comments · 1.7K

• MR

  @MrBrightNow · 8 months ago (edited)

  I admire the fact that people in other countries have enough respect to not destroy and vandalize peoples property. This home would never be this well kept while also being unlocked and wide open here in the US

  394

• SA

  @SandyBaudron-d6k · 3 months ago

  The complete, tragic history of the Château de Champigny-sur-Veude, from its royal beginnings to its modern-day abandonment by its prominent American owners, is presented below in a single unified narrative: [1]<br><br>1. Royal Splendor and Calculated Destruction (11th – 17th Century)<br><br>The history of this estate began around 1090 when Foulques IV of Anjou built a medieval fortress. Between 1498 and 1507, Louis I of Bourbon, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon, transformed it into a breathtaking Italian-influenced Renaissance palace. The crown jewel of this estate was the Sainte-Chapelle (Saint-Louis Chapel), completed around 1543. Because the Bourbon-Montpensier family was directly descended from King Louis IX (Saint Louis), they held the rare privilege of replicating the architecture of the legendary Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. [1, 2, 3]<br><br>The palace’s grandeur ultimately caused its downfall. In 1635, Cardinal de Richelieu forced the royal family into a property trade. Jealous of its beauty and determined that no local palace should outshine the massive new estate he was building nearby, Richelieu ordered the main residential wings demolished. He spared the Sainte-Chapelle only because Pope Urban VIII stepped in and issued a papal decree protecting the sacred sanctuary. The wings seen in the aerial image today are actually the monumental 16th-century outbuildings (the stables and guardhouses) that survived Richelieu&apos;s demolition and were later converted into living spaces. [1, 2, 3, 4]<br><br>2. The American Era and Elite Occupations (2000 – 2019)<br><br>After changing hands for centuries following the French Revolution, the 72-hectare estate was bought in 2000 for roughly €3 million by Bernard and Joan Carl. The Carls were highly prominent figures in elite American and French circles. Bernard Carl made an immense fortune as a Wall Street finance attorney, real estate investor, and expert in international sovereign wealth funds. His wife, Joan Carl, was a titan in the luxury market; she owned and operated D. Porthault, the historic French luxury linen brand. Her contributions to French heritage through the company were so highly regarded that the French government awarded her the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 2008. For nearly two decades, the couple meticulously restored the estate, using it as a glamorous summer home and hosting high-society events, including a multi-million dollar wedding for their eldest daughter. [1, 2, 3, 4]<br><br>3. The Sudden Pandemic Departure and Frozen Limbo (2020 – Present)<br><br>The château&apos;s modern downfall began in early 2020 when the Carls flew back to the United States to escape the initial COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe. They would never return. Following their departure, deep financial fractures came to light. A massive local dispute erupted over hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills left behind from their daughter&apos;s extravagant wedding. [1]<br><br>By 2021, Bernard Carl abruptly stopped paying the salaries of the estate’s staff, the groundskeepers, and local contractors. With the workers gone overnight, the property was frozen in time—fully furnished with luxury items, clothes, and strictly personal family photography. Because the estate was left so suddenly, it became a major sensation for online urban exploration (Urbex) video channels. These dramatic online forums began spreading wild, debunked conspiracy theories—claiming that Bernard Carl was Jeffrey Epstein&apos;s lawyer and pointing to staged or imaginary photos of Donald Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell, or King Charles left inside. In reality, Bernard Carl was an international corporate attorney with absolutely no tie to Epstein, and there are no traces of these political or criminal figures in the house. When pressed by local French officials to return and manage the estate, Bernard Carl defensively claimed he was &quot;afraid for his life&quot; to return to France, a statement widely viewed by local authorities as a legal tactic to evade lawsuits, tax audits, and mounting debts. [1, 2, 3]<br><br>4. What Has Been Done Until Today?<br><br>Because the estate incorporates a rare Sainte-Chapelle listed as a protected Historical Monument, the French government cannot allow it to rot. With the owner absent, the château fell into severe decay, and its perimeter stone walls began collapsing directly onto the adjacent public road (RD 749). The local municipality had to step in using public funds to secure the area and prevent the structural collapse of the monument. [1, 2, 3, 4]<br><br>The French Ministry of Culture and the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) dispatched official expert delegations to access the property and evaluate the damage. The French State subsequently placed Bernard Carl under a formal legal injunction (mise en demeure), legally forcing him to pay for urgent structural restoration. Given the continued silence from the owners, the mayor of Champigny-sur-Veude has been actively pushing the state to advance expropriation procedures. This ongoing legal action will allow the French government to officially seize the property from the American owners and pass it to a preservation trust or a responsible buyer capable of saving this Renaissance treasure. [1, 2, 3]

  112

• WO

  @Wormweed · 8 months ago

  imagine trying to keep this place warm....

  141

• KE

  @kendoll235 · 8 months ago

  I believe that is Bernard Carl’s home. Why he left might be because he was Epstiens lawyer and was afraid of returning to the mansion.

  499

• SH

  @shelly2536 · 8 months ago

  The history of Chateau de Champigny and its 200-acre walled grounds in Champigny-sur-Veude rests on the foundation of a medieval castle built in the 13th century. In 1508, Louis I and Louise de Boubon-Montpensier laid the first stone of their late Gothic, early Renaissance style chateau, joined by a royal chapel and a U-shaped building for the property&apos;s concierge, guards and royal stables. In 1626, a wedding was arranged between the remaining heiress Marie de Bourbon and Gaston d&apos; Orleans, the son of Marie de Medici &amp; King Henry IV of France. Marie died one year later giving birth to her only child, Anne Marie Louis d&apos;Orleans, Dutchess d Montpnsier. A power struggle over the property caused baby Anne Marie&apos;s godfather, Cardinal Richelieu, to eventually destroy the Renaissance chateau built by Louis I &amp; Louise. After the cardinal&apos;s death Anne Marie reclaimed her ancestral home. Instead of rebuilding the original chateau, Anne Marie, renovated the royal property&apos;s Renaissance stables as one of her homes outside Paris. Source: Owner -Joan Carl. Article date: 2-24-2017

  125

• PJ

  @Pjdubniner · 4 months ago (edited)

  From 2017 interview with Joan Carl: Bernard and Joan Carl bought the Château de Champigny and its 200-acre walled grounds in Champigny-sur-Veude, in the Loire Valley in hopes to restore it. <br><br>In 1508, Louis I and Louise de Boubon-Montpensier laid the first stone of their late Gothic, early Renaissance style château, joined by a royal chapel and a U-shaped building for the property’s concierge, guards and royal stables.<br><br>Joan Carl owns(ed) one of France’s oldest luxury linen house D. Porthault. &nbsp;She also was awarded one of France’s most prestigious honors, the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, in part for her work in restoring the house of D. Porthault

  24

• KA

  @kathleen726 · 8 months ago

  You two came across the holy grail of abandoned places!! &nbsp;These mansions in Europe are on another level!! &nbsp;Good find!!

  80

• KA

  @Kay-mz8hc · 8 months ago

  Its lovely &nbsp;that people dont trash or steal. &nbsp;I love the shutters on the windows. <br>I bet there&apos;s secret rooms .

  11

• TO

  @tonymontana897 · 8 months ago

  Major corruption buys all that obscene wealth.

  325

• RU

  @RUREDY2ROK · 2 months ago

  This video would be 30 mins shorter if he didnt stop and talk to the camera every 30 seconds

  32

• SI

  @silent.hills.explorations · 8 months ago (edited)

  This place was hands down one of the craziest places we have ever seen! Loved watching your video to see your reaction to the crazy rooms haha. So grateful we were able to see it!

  62

• LY

  @lynpierson8797 · 5 months ago

  Can you imagine how extremely beautiful it was when it was first inhabited there were flowers and maids and servants and the pictures were probably everywhere. I bet it was so beautiful tables and decorated things.

  6