A deed signed by Napoleon which prevented Brussels' iconic Castle of Laeken's estate from being split up and sold has proved a hit at auction over 200 years later.
The original deed of sale, signed by Napoleon himself to stop the current state from being broken up, was sold at auction for €6,250, more than double the starting price of €3,000, the Brussels auction house Arenberg Auctions announced on Saturday. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.
On 3 August 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte signed the deed of sale to prevent the Laeken estate, some twenty hectares surrounding the Castle of Laeken, from being sold off in lots. The French conqueror bought it for 150,000 francs, just one year after acquiring the château.
After the French Revolution, the castle and grounds fell into disuse and were put up for sale by the Austrian Royal Family, the archdukes of Austria being the estate's residents at the time. Around 20 years earlier, the castle had been built at their request, but the Austrians only had the opportunity to enjoy the grounds for a few years, having had to flee the Brabant revolution and later the French invasion.
Credit: Arenburg Auctions
In 1803, Napoleon attended military exercises in the region and, charmed by the estate, decided to buy the castle before starting work almost immediately. A year later, he proclaimed himself emperor and took an interest in the woods, meadows and pastures around the château.
Unbeknownst to Napoleon, the year prior, Ghent landowner Emmanuel Piers had bought the 20-hectare plot with the intention of selling it off in several lots. Napoleon put a stop to the project by buying the estate outright in 1804.
"Napoleon has sometimes been considered a little too inquisitive. However, it was thanks to his intervention that the castle and estate of Laeken were saved from demolition," noted Henri Godts, expert at Arenberg Auctions.
