little bit of History
The second Empire, under the reign of Napoleon III opens itself to the world of art and commerce. One of the most skilful businessman is the Duke of Morny, half-brother of the Emperor. The Coffee is entering the Parisian salons.
A Brazilian coffee merchant supplies the Duke with his production. The latter to be “nice” presents him a “Half-Mondaine”, the so-called Princess Lepsing who became his mistress. Crazy in love the coffee producer build a mansion for her at 16 avenue de Wagram, off-center district of the time but full of promise and future.
But production became difficult and our generous Brazilian returns to his country to recover his business. On leaving he donated the Hotel Particulier to his beautiful “Princess”. The affair made a great noise because of the importance of the present. It seems that from this story, Halévy wrote the booklet Offenbach will put to music and become a worldwide success: “The Parisian life.”
“I’m Brazilian, I have gold, and I’m coming from Rio-Janeiro.
Twenty times richer than formerly, Paris, I’ll come back to you again! “
The Princess will marry an old nobleman, she will become the Patroness Lady of her parish, Saint Ferdinand Church. She will go out surrounded and regretted by all in the year 1910.
“Everything is different when everyone perceives the privilege of coming together in the comfort of an extraordinary setting. “
Around Wagram
The Hotel Particulier Wagram, a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe, is located a few steps from the famous Place de l’Etoile, the Champs-Elysées and Place des Ternes. An ideal location in a very important business and tourist area. Public transport is nearby and can easily reach the Palais des Congrès, the district of La Défense, the Louvre Museum or Saint-Germain des Prés in about fifteen minutes.