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This custom-built chateau cost $64 million -- but a court has ordered its owner to knock it down

29/03/2019 10:17
France is famed for the historic chateaus that dot its countryside, but when one man built his very own Renaissance-style mansion in a beautiful corner of the south coast, he caused something of a stir.

Property developer Pierre Diter, who owns the chateau in the town of Grasse, in Southern France, has 18 months to raze the building and faces a fine of €200,000 ($226,000), Pierre-Jean Gaury, attorney general at the court of appeal in Aix-en-Provence, told CNN.

"Patrick Diter was accused of having executed important works on a land without authorization," said Gaury.

"Mr. Diter transformed a home that was important because it was on a protected site, and subject to legal regulations."

A house previously stood on the site, but Diter built a huge mansion with multiple buildings, a swimming pool and fountains, said Gaury.

CÁC TIN LIÊN QUAN

Those scars are on display at the beachside-city of Varosha. Once a glamorous getaway for a star-studded, international crowd, the hollowed-out resort is now penned behind rusting barriers and Turkish military posts.

A fuzzy snout nosed into my open car window, followed by a pair of brown eyes under enviable lashes.

Last weekend, Democrats lost control of the political narrative to President Donald Trump and the Republicans. And they will have to work quickly if they want to get it back.