The World’s Priciest Property: A Glimpse into Villa Les Cèdres

Villa Les Cèdres, formerly known as Villa Les Oiseaux, is said to hold the world record for the highest price per square meter. This Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat property, which has been on the market since last March, could be worth no less than 350 million euros!

Built in 1830, the villa was first owned by the mayor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, and later by King Leopold II of Belgium. It was here that the King—who fell in love with her when he was in his sixties and she was a teenager—housed his beloved Blanche Delacroix, nicknamed « Très-Belle » (The Very Beautiful).

The woman he would eventually name the Baroness of Vaughan later sold the estate to Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, the creator of Grand Marnier liqueur. He and his descendants transformed the grounds into a 15-hectare botanical park. The estate features 25 heated greenhouses containing 20,000 species, including 14,000 rare tropical plants, which were originally used in the production of the famous liqueur.

[Source: Magrey]