Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle was the sumptuous field of the press baron William Randolph Hearst, located at San Simeon, in the Comté of San Luis Obispo, on the central coast of California, between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

It was built between 1919 and 1947 by the architect Julia Morgan for Hearst (and its mistress, the actress Marion Davies) tycoon billionaire of the press, which was used as model to the character of Charles Forster Kane incarnated by Orson Welles in its film Citizen Kane. The palate itself is evoked in film under the name of Xanadu.

It is with the disproportion of the mythical Palais of antiquity transposed in the middle of the California. Given to the State of California in 1957, it is from now on also a National Historic Landmark (national historic building).

The palate of a phantom city

Hearst Castle was built in full nature, formerly ground of ranchos Mexican, at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, where the development of Los Angeles was not planned yet, Hearst tried to cause a big city at this place which it supposed favourable because of its position between Los Angeles and San Francisco (400 and 330 km), by creating the first infrastructures. The cuesta encantada (magic hill) was to be the palate surmounting about it the city. Finally, only the palate was set up, fruit of the Californian lifestyle made possible by the moderate price of the grounds and the favorable climate.

One of the vestiges of this time is a pontoon on the beach, which was used to unload Hollywood high-speed motorboats and personalities (Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Charles Lindbergh, Joan Crawford, Winston Churchill) arriving by the ocean of the marinas of Los Angeles; San Simeon is only one district of hotels of tourism for the visitors of the " Château" of Hearst, set up and built despite everything, without dominating the metropolis of which he dreamed.

Description

Hearst Castle was almost a small town, with 56 rooms to lay down, 61 bathrooms, 19 living rooms, 127 acres of gardens (approximately 51 hectares), swimming pools of interior and external, courts of tennis, a film theater, an airfield, and the largest private zoo of the world. The zebras and other exotic animals always wander there. The collections of art, antiquities and elements architectural result mainly from Europe, in particular of Spain.

the swimming pool of Neptune ( Neptune pool in English) can contain more than one million liters of water.

Tourism

The State of California manages Hearst Castle and maintains it open for public excursions. In 2007, the tickets are sold 20 to 30 US dollars according to the season. Reservations are recommended for working lives such as the summer, the ends of the week and the holidays. French excursions can be assured for the groups of 12 or more and must be made directly at Hearst Castle in advance.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

Official site

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