2. Baron Empain Palace, Egypt’s El-Montaza
Place: Egypt’s El-Montaza
Year: 1911
Price: $10.9 million in 2020
Belgian businessman Edward Empain created this unusual, historic mansion. Empain chose to construct the Empain Palace in 1911 because he was an ardent traveler and had a deep affection for Egypt. It was not his sole scheme. In addition, the Baron proposed the name “Heliopolis” (City of the Sun) for his new city that he intended to build in the middle of the desert.
Egypt’s Baron Empain Palace at El-Montaza ©Shutterstock/Baloncici
Empain Palace is deserted and currently uninhabited. There are also tales of hauntings because, according to a local tradition, Empain’s wife worshipped demons and offered sacrifices of animals to them in several of the Palace’s apartments. Neighbors of the Palace claim that occasionally, late at night, they hear cries resonating from its rooms for no apparent cause.
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