Well here I go again, my extensive vault continues to amaze me and not even remember of some of them but hey I have been there and they must be in my blog. Few years back, while living in Versailles and working in Paris was taken to many places; some pictures were allowed others not. This one was and glad to have them. I like to tell you even if cannot be visited on the former Château de La Muette which today is the home of the OECD or Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development !! Hope you enjoy the post as I
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. I had the priviledgeof assisting to meetings there on world finance and development in third world countries, This was nice and is another spot in my travels, even if cannot be visited unless in official capacity, It is a nice neighborhood and worth the walks around it at least. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) whose member countries mostly developed countries have in common a democratic system of government and a market economy. It essentially plays the role of a consultative assembly In 2021, the OECD has 38 member countries and brings together several hundred experts. It frequently publishes economic and social studies analyses, forecasts and economic policy recommendations, and statistics, mainly concerning its member countries.
The headquarters of the OECD is located in the 16éme arrondissement of Paris in the former Château de la Muette.The organisation was initially founded in 1948 to implement the Marshall Plan, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) saw its economic role diminish when it came to an end in 1952. The OECD which succeeded it in 1961 turned to the economic studies and widened beyond the European dimension, adding to the 18 European members the United States, Canada, then Japan in 1964, The Château de la Muette is a castle located rue André-Pascal, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the Bois de Boulogne at the level of the current Porte de la Muette, near the site where three castles existed successively since the Renaissance. The current building, the fourth Château de la Muette, was built by Henri de Rothschild in the early 1920s in the style of the 18C. It now houses the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The fascinationg thing about this place is the former Château de La Muette, and I like to tell you and remind me of its great history, The kings of France had had a hunting rendezvous at La Muette since the Middle Ages. At the end of the 16C, this hunting lodge was transformed by king Charles IX into a small castle which he offered to Marguerite de Valois, known as Queen Margot, on the occasion of her marriage to the future Henri IV. In 1606, she donated the castle to the Dauphin, the future Louis XIII , In 1717, the Regent, Philippe d’Orléans, bought La Muette for his daughter, Marie-Louise-Élisabeth, Duchess of Berry, The Duchess of Berry settled at the Château de la Muette where she gave superb parties, notably receiving the Tsar of Russia Peter the Great. The young Louis XV made many stays there during his minority, raising animals there, learning to ride a horse, then to hunt, in the nearby woods , Between 1737 and 1745, Louis XV had the Château de la Muette completely rebuilt, In 1750 , the cabinet of curiosities of the Crown was installed, with the help of the Duke of Chaulnes, in the gardens of La Muette (at the current location of the intersection of rue de Passy and rue de la Pompe). In 1764, the Dauphin, future Louis XVI, takes possession of La Muette. This is where Marie-Antoinette, upon her arrival in France, will await her wedding ceremony. Become dauphine, she will stay there several times. When Louis XVI ascended the throne in 1774, it was at La Muette that he signed the edict in May renouncing the right of joyous advent,(the name of the tax that the kings of France granted themselves, at the end of their coronation at the expense of urban or religious communities, in return for the confirmation of existing privileges).
To save money, an edict of February 1788 put the Château de La Muette up for sale and authorized buyers to demolish them. The castle was abandoned and ceased to be maintained. In 1790, during the French revolution, the cabinet of curiosities was dismantled and its instruments were transported to the Paris Observatory. The domain is divided and sold in lots. The central building was demolished in 1793 and all the interior decorative elements were recovered and sold , In 1816, during the Restoration (monarchy of Louis XVIII) , the castle is returned to the Crown but, given the importance of the necessary repairs, the castle was removed from the Civil list (no renovations), The Countess of Franqueville restores the castle from 1889 according to the original plans, by rebuilding the main body of the building and removing the two floors. The complex was located between number 17 of the current rue du Advisor-Collignon and boulevard Émile-Augier. It was in 1922 that Baron and Baroness de Rothschild settled at this address, in their new home. In 1948, the heirs of Henri de Rothschild sold the estate to the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), which installed its seat in the castle for later this org becoming the OECD.
The official OECD: https://www.oecd.org/france/
The Paris tourist office on the Château de La Muette: https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/256586/Chateau-de-la-Muette
There you go folks, something unique in Paris, off the beaten path indeed. However ,even if the public is not allowed in, the area is worth for a walk and to look at this marvel of a building, the former Château de La Muette! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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