Château de Bagnolet, Paris

The original Château de Bagnolet was a grand estate located just outside Paris that served as a favorite residence for the Duchess of Orleans during the eighteenth century. She expanded the grounds to span two hundred acres and commissioned several ornamental pavilions across the landscape, including a retreat known as the Hermitage. This Hermitage remains the only structure from the vast original estate that still stands today. During the French Revolution, the property became a site for clandestine political intrigue. It functioned as a base for the Baron of Batz, who used the estate to host secret meetings dedicated to organizing the escape of King Louis XVI before his execution. The building was eventually demolished in the nineteenth century, leaving behind only the Hermitage to mark the site of a once-regal retreat.