At the Hôtel de Talleyrand...

This June, in the mundane Paris that wishes to leave behind the Winter and see the city under better lights (those of Summer, of course) and meet with friends to talk about everything and nothing, you must attend one of the many gatherings taking place these days...

Precisely this week I had the honor of being invited by Bertrand du Vignaud, President of the WMF Europe, to their Diner held every year in June. The World Monument Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to restore the most important and incredible monuments on Earth and has chapters in more than a 100 cities. This is all possible thanks to the generosity of many donors... many many!

For example, WMF Europe, between 2010 and 2011, was able to restore the Kollegienkirche of Salzbourg, the facade of the Belvedere and the doors and balustrades of the Villa dei Vescovi, both in Prague, and the Roman Church of San Clement de Casauria, in Abruzzo, two years after the earthquake. And so many other projects are on the works... Fascinating!

WMF Europe has its headquarters in one of the most beautiful, historic and important palaces in Paris: the Hôtel de Talleyrand, which has a long, long history.

First it was known as Hôtel St. Florentin, because of Louis-Phelypeaux, Count of St. Florentin and future Duke of La Vrillière, who was Secretary of State to King Louis XV. The Hotel was finished by 1769 thanks to the work of the architect Chalgrin, When St. Florentin died, the Hotel went to the Duke Fitz Roy and later to de Duchess de Infantado. In 1812 it was finally bought by Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, a great politician of his time and a key piece of French History. He would live there until his death, in 1838. Around that time the Hôtel is bought by James de Rothschild, being the Rothschilds the only owners until 1950. 

It it with them that the building reaches its highest splendor. However, the years of war, its many horrors and the German occupation in Paris, pushes the family to sell it to the American Government, which will first use it as headquarters for the Marshall Plan and, later, as US Consulate in Paris. A restoration process is began shortly after, ending in 2007 and taking the Hôtel to its original blueprint.

Today it is rented by a Law Firm and the WMF Europe.

It was in its halls, with such Past and splendor, that the dinner was held... with a breathtaking view of the Place de la Concorde.

Of course all the donors of the WMF were there, mostly Americans, and the "tout" Paris: women in long dresses and men in smoking.

As I love History and its traditions, it was a privilege to me to be able to be in a place were so many important people in France spent their time...