It is called Villa Sapène, but it is most often known under the sulphurous nickname of "German brothel".
This large abandoned house in Mesnil-le-Roi, very close to the banks of the Seine and the piles of the A14 bridge, is a curiosity for all those who cross it on their way.
It's hard to remain insensitive to this ruin perched in the woods a few meters from the river.
Fascinating for some, this hundred-year-old old lady today, completely covered in graffiti, is also a wart for others.
And a long-standing problem for the municipality.
In Mesnil-le-Roi, as memory of the inhabitant, it has always been abandoned.
However, the building or rather "the manor" as it is called, has lived.
At least a quarter of a century.
Enough in any case to give it a strange reputation.
Requisitioned for officers' free time during the Occupation
Built at the very beginning of the 1920s by Jean Sapène, film producer and director of the far-right newspaper "Le Matin", the villa which bears his name is above all renowned for having been a place of debauchery for German officers during the Occupation.
The sulphurous Manoir des Prés was built in the early 1920s. Sébastien BIRDEN
"All the beautiful villas of Mesnil had been requisitioned", tells the mayor (DVD) Serge Caseris, also author of the book "Le Mesnil-le-Roi, Anecdotes villageoises".
And the chosen one to recall in passing "the proximity of the headquarters in Saint-Germain".
As for its vocation as a brothel, "let's say that there had to be places for the leisure activities of these gentlemen, but there were other places," he explains.
The oldest people told me that on weekends, there were people coming from Paris. ”
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Not easy, in front of these sections of walls holding by miracle in the middle of the trees and these collapsed ceilings to imagine the residence of then, "with its port and its swimming pool of which there remain vestiges", specifies Serge Caseris.
Le Mesnil-le-Roi.
Today's forest was then a meadow.
Sébastien BIRDEN
Especially since, as the mayor underlines, we have to think of the places quite differently.
“The house is built on a mound.
There were two islands, you can see it on the IGN maps.
And in front, a large meadow with rows of trees. "
Since the Liberation, Villa Sapène, whose owner died in 1940, has never been inhabited again.
A house that fell into oblivion after the war
In almost eight decades, however, the land and the mansion have been the subject of numerous sales.
With buyers who have for a time "filled the land with rubble so as to put it outside the PPRI
(Editor's note: flood risk prevention plan)
, therefore constructible".
Wasted effort.
"I have known the abandoned house for forty-seven years," continues the mayor.
But we weren't going to walk there.
It was private land. ”
All the interiors are covered with frescoes and graffiti.
Sébastien BIRDEN
And they still are.
The current owner owns around 12 hectares of space that is now entirely wooded, nature having quickly reclaimed its rights, as shown in the aerial photos.
"To have it destroyed would cost money so it is left as it is," continues Serge Caseris.
Especially since it costs nothing in taxes.
The property tax on undeveloped areas in Mesnil-le-Roi is 16,000 euros in all. ”
Popular with squatters, artists and partiers
The fact remains that the place, to which access is theoretically prohibited, presents obvious dangers in view of the state of advanced dilapidation of the building.
Used as a refuge by some homeless people, it serves above all as a support for street artists as evidenced by the multitude of frescoes painted on the facade and especially in the interiors, where in places, more than a square centimeter is left blank.
The ruin is known to certain audiences.
Sébastien BIRDEN
The villa is also considered a hotspot for urbex, urban exploration.
The place and its surroundings are also popular with fans of soft air and paintball for the playground they offer.
Above all, the "German brothel" regularly brings together underground parties.
On the ground, a few laughing gas capsules, sandwich trays and cans are visible traces.
"When we know it, the police station immediately evacuates," explains Serge Caseris. Beyond the noise, there are risks that are the responsibility of the owner. Fortunately, we have never had a major accident, but we would like to prevent a catastrophe from happening one day. "
