Ancient French chateau razed—by accident
The Château de la Muette, OECD headquarters, in Paris, France.
Call it a case of mistaken identity: an ancient French chateau has been razed to the ground by construction workers, who were told to destroy a smaller building on the same property instead.
The gracious 18th-century Chateau de Bellevue in Yvrac, Bordeaux was one of the town's premier attractions, and its owner, Russian businessman Russian businessman Dmitry Stroskin, hired a Polish building firm to renovate it, says the Associated Press.
The workers were also told to knock down a smaller building—which is where the trouble began.
They knocked down the chateau instead, demolishing it completely. Whoops.
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France24.com reports that authorities are investigating the incident, although the circumstances appear to be rather cut-and-dry.
Locals are reeling from the unexpected loss—as is owner Stroskin, who returned home from a business trip to find his dream home reduced to rubble.
However, according to France24.com, he won't be looking to prosecute the building firm as the "damage has been done."
He instead intends to build an identical chateau on the same site.
The Chateau de Bellevue's website states that the property was available for events, and guests could stay at the palatial old home while visiting the famous Bordeaux wine country.
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