Once upon a time, kings and queens lived in palaces, and the nobility and the rich tried to imitate them in luxury. Many years have passed since then, land has become more expensive, palaces have gone out of fashion (and living in them is uncomfortable by modern standards), but the desire to stand out remains.
What kind of buildings do the rich and famous build for themselves, and where do they prefer to live? Let's take a look at the top 10 most expensive houses in the world - both inhabited and for sale.
10. Fairfield Pond, USA – Price: $249,000,000
The list of the most expensive houses in the world, priced from $249 million, is opened by a gigantic palace measuring almost half a hectare. It is located on Long Island, New York. In terms of size, the estate ranks modestly 19th among the largest houses in the United States, but its location makes it one of the most expensive - space in New York is scarce, and it is expensive.
Fair Field is owned by Ira Rennert. No, this is not a girl named Irochka, but a respectable gentleman born in 1934. Being 65 years old, he decided to buy some land and build a mansion. Although the neighbors fiercely protested against the construction, the industrial magnate was still able to insist on his own (albeit on a smaller scale than he had originally planned). As a result, Long Island is adorned with a gigantic house with 29 bedrooms, 39 baths, its own small power plant, three swimming pools, a greenhouse, a home theater for 164 people and one synagogue. True, it is not cheap to own - Rennert pays more than 40 thousand dollars in taxes every month.
9. Molokai Ranch, USA – $260,000,000
If a rich person suffers from misanthropy and does not want to see people (except for the service staff, of course), then he retreats to places like a ranch on the island of Molokai, Haiti. It is simply made for millionaires who prefer huge, uninhabited spaces to the hustle and bustle of the city. It occupies more than a third of the island's surface, and its area is 22.5 hectares. These hectares include a coastline of almost 32 km, snow-white, sun-drenched beaches with a view of colorful reefs, tropical forests, rocky cliffs ... And pastures - for entertainment, the estate includes two golf courses, one hotel and an entire working ranch measuring half a hectare.
The famous Mark Zuckerberg himself considered buying the ranch, but ultimately decided to settle on another Hawaiian island – Kaua’u.
8. Penthouse at the top of the Odeon skyscraper, Monaco – $330,000,000
In 2014, the penthouse was put up for sale and immediately attracted attention – both with its mind-blowing price and stunning views and original architectural design. The “modest” apartment is located at the top of the Odeon skyscraper and occupies the top five floors; its area is 3.3 thousand m2, there are five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
The creators decided not to sacrifice the view, so the walls of the apartment on each floor are one continuous window. And being in the center of the room, you can literally survey the surroundings. But the most impressive feature of the house is the water slide, which allows guests to plunge straight from the dance floor into a huge outdoor pool, from where stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea open up.
7. Chartwell Estate, USA – $350,000,000
To this day, the Chartwell estate confidently holds the palm among the most expensive homes in the United States. This is a real estate, designed by the architect Sumner Spaulding following the example of the best examples of 18th-century French architecture. The white and gray limestone-clad house of classical proportions rises in the middle of a well-kept park with gazebos, paths, fountains, tennis courts, a giant swimming pool and parking for 40 cars.
The house was used as a filming location for the popular 60s TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. It was later bought by the head of Univision, who is actually responsible for the excellent state of preservation of the estate – he spent several million to restore and modernize Chartwell.
6. Cedar Villa, France – $418,000,000
Real estate on the French Riviera has long been a dream for the rich from all over the world. But it was not always so. The Cedar Villa, located on the coast of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, began its life in the early 19th century as a simple working farm producing olive oil. Three-hundred-year-old olive trees can still be seen on the territory of the villa. Now, instead of an oil press, the courtyard is decorated with a bronze statue of the goddess Athena, and winding paths under the shade of palms and cedars lead to an impressive citadel.
Inside, there are plenty of chandeliers, 19th-century portraits (I wonder if there are any farm workers there?) and everything that the average person would associate with the Beast's castle from the Disney cartoon. In addition to the Empire-style chairs, the palace also has a library that boasts a botanical codex from 1640. By the way, the furniture and household items are not included in the sale price; if desired, they can be purchased separately.
5. Palace of Bubbles, France – $418,000,000
And from the classics we move on to cartoons – yes, yes, the inspiration for the creation of the most expensive houses in the world was drawn from different sources. Most of all, the Bubble Palace resembles the quasi-primitive dwelling of the Flintstones from the children's animated film of the same name. Imagine a cheerful cluster of spherical structures with the same round windows, doors and other architectural details. Don't they look very much like bubbles? The pleasant, muted terracotta color of the buildings and the elegant white edging slightly reconcile the riot of form.
The house is about 1,200 m2 in size and has everything even the most demanding rich person needs, including a swimming pool and an open-air amphitheater for 500 people. It was here that the Dior fashion show was held and James Bond's 40th birthday was celebrated.
4. Middle Gap Road, 24, Hong Kong - $446 000 000
Hong Kong is a densely populated area, and land there is expensive. In terms of price per square meter, the city-state is second only to Monaco. It is no surprise that a large house located on the top of a picturesque mountain is the fourth most expensive property.
Although compared to the examples presented in the rating, it looks, frankly speaking, nondescript - it has only two floors, four bedrooms and four bathrooms. In the backyard there is a swimming pool, which is hidden from prying eyes by dense growth of trees.
3. Villa Leopolda, France – $750,000,000
This huge estate is located near Villefranche-sur-Mer, a city on the French Riviera. It is just over seven hectares in size, on which there is a palace covered with rare types of marble with nineteen bedrooms, fireplaces, swimming pools, a cinema and a bowling alley. Palace is not a random word; the estate was once owned by the Belgian King Leopold II, under whose wise rule the population of the Congo was reduced by half, but rubber production increased two hundred times. Now the most expensive villa in the world belongs to Lily Safra, a Brazilian millionairess, who inherited it from her late husband.
Interestingly, the Russian oligarch Mikhail Porokhov dreamed of taking possession of the villa, and even began negotiations with Lily, but something went wrong. Prokhorov himself says that the 2008 crisis influenced him. Evil tongues claim that Prokhorov was mortally offended by the French government. There, the police arrested him for transporting girls with low social responsibility to Courchevel. The millionaire insisted that they were simply beautiful girls who voluntarily decided to keep him company. Be that as it may, but after the advance payment had already been made, Prokhorov refused the deal. And Safra promised to spend the advance on various charitable purposes.
2. Antilia, India – $1 000 000 000
The second most expensive residential building in the world is an entire tower towering over mere mortals in southern Mumbai. Its owner is the richest man in India named Mukesh Ambani. The tower has 27 floors, and the architects did not skimp on the ceiling height – similarly tall buildings with standard ceilings would be sixty floors. 600 workers are required to operate the building’s services and ensure the comfort of the billionaire and his family. The tower-palace has three helipads, a giant parking lot for over 160 cars and its own car service. Mukesh does not forget about culture – the building has a theater, a ballroom, a spa and swimming pools.
Not all Indians welcomed the creation of this gigantic monument to wealth. In a country with the largest slums in Asia, where 42% children under the age of five are underweight, erecting such a tower is not the smartest move. Some have already hinted that this is how revolutions happen.
1. Buckingham Palace, England – $1 550 000 000
And in first place in the rating is Buckingham Palace - the most expensive house in the world, worth 1.550 billion dollars. The photo clearly shows both the ancient and beautiful building itself, and the crowds of tourists scurrying back and forth every day.
True, this is if you look at it from the front – the palace from the front really does embody the best traditions of classicism. Its façade pleases the eye with its noble proportions. But from the back, where the owners of royal blood ordered to add various necessary and useful structures, the view is not so good. It is not for nothing that the British newspaper The Guardian called it one of the ugliest buildings in the world; apparently, the journalists were not too lazy to walk around the house.
Since 1761, Buckingham Palace has been in the exclusive use of the British royal family. It is currently the official residence of the reigning Queen Elizabeth II.
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