Villa Strassburger

The most characteristic villa of the Belle Epoque

Protected as a historical monument by decree of October 29, 1975, this imposing residence, far from the seaside, was commissioned by Baron Henri de Rothschild. A great lover of racing, he chose to build his home near the racetrack. The villa was built in 1907 on the site of the Ferme du Coteau, owned by the family of the novelist Gustave Flaubert since 1837.
The Caen architect Georges Pichereau, a student of René-Jacques Baumier, designed a building whose program combines references to scholarly and Augean architecture. The Norman character is reinforced by the development around the dwelling of a vast grassy park planted with apple trees, covering nearly two hectares. The base in opus incertum underlined by curved joints is surmounted by a first floor of brick and stone laid out in a checkerboard pattern and a first floor in pan de bois, partially holed in tiles. An important canopy runs along almost all the facades of the villa.
The picturesqueness of the building is accentuated by the profusion of architectural elements animating the elevations (turrets, bow-windows, large terrace on the first floor) and the roofs (long-span roofs, pavilion roofs with a pyramidion, imperial roofs) decorated with ceramic finials.
The animated character of the exterior is contrasted with the simplicity of the interior volumes. The west-facing entrance opens onto a central hall that distributes the smoking room, the children's living room and dining room, the bedroom and the grand staircase to the south. This staircase leads to the private apartments on the second floor; a service staircase is reserved for the household staff.
Inside, one can also admire paintings and sculptures by the artist Enrico Campagnola (official website).
The villa was owned by Ralph Beaver Strassburger from 1924 onwards and was bequeathed to the municipality by his heirs in 1980.