Urban Exploration at the Castle of the Emperor J.B. Bokassa

Castle of the Emperor J.B. Bokassa
_{11^th of December, 2011}

This exploration took place in the castle of Hardricourt which became the property of the Emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa in 1978. This expedition was quite moving for many of the Emperor’s objects were still in place in the different rooms such as birth certificate, clothes, writing machine or washing utilities… It is as if he had to escape from this place in an instant…

The Castle of Hardricourt was built in the 19th century on the site of a previous castle. The castle, the current city hall and their respective parks were part of the same whole. At the beginning of World War II, the Lycée Molière located in Paris was temporarily relocated to this castle. In 1970, the industrialist Jean Barrault bought the castle and kept it until his death in 1976.

It was then sold to Jean-Bedel Bokassa, former leader and then emperor of the Central African Republic in 1978. After being ousted from power in 1979 and a 4-year exile in Ivory Coast, the former Emperor Bokassa 1^st was under house arrest in this castle from 1983 to 1986.

I like to attempt to tell a story with my Urbx photography set and to orient the view into a journey within the decayed places that I visit. I hope that you will enjoy the experience and get the feel of the adventure related by my photographs.
_{NB: All the photographs are available for print purchases. If you are interested, you can contact me directly.}

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