Egypt’s Baron Empain Palace to opens its doors 1 July, the story behind the palace
As the Baron Empain Palace inauguration is just around the corner, Minister of Antiquities and Tourism Khaled Anany visited the site earlier this week ahead of its expected reopening on 1 July .
Although unmistakably modelled on the Hindu temples of Orissa in India, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Palace of Baron Empain is in fact located in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis.
The palace was built towards the end of the nineteenth century by the millionaire Belgian industrialist, amateur Egyptologist and founder of Heliopolis Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain.
The palace was built towards the end of the nineteenth century by the millionaire Belgian industrialist, amateur Egyptologist and founder of Heliopolis Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain.
In 1904, Empain travelled to Egypt to try and salvage a contract for one of his companies to build a railway line. Although he didn’t get the contract the Baron decided to stay in Cairo.
In 1906, Empain bought a large stretch of desert from the government and began the construction of Heliopolis, with the palace at its centre. Heliopolis was designed as a “city of luxury and leisure”, with all necessary conveniences, even hotel facilities.
The palace was designed by French architect Alexandre Marcel and decorated by Georges-Louis Claude. The construction started in 1907 and was completed in 1911.
The Egyptian government bought the palace in 2005, and it was closed after opening for two months without explanation. In 2017 the restoration works began in a bid to show Heliopolis’ history throughout the ages.
Now the palace will be open to the public and ticket prices are: EGP 20 for Egyptians, EGP 10 for Egyptian students, and EGP 100 for foreigners.