Hotel Balzac Paris

The Home of Honoré de Balzac in Paris

Built for the director of the Paris Opera in 1853 and once home to 19^th century French writer Honoré de Balzac himself, the hotel is reminiscent of town houses of that period.

Shining Example of Parisian Chic

Still a haven of peace and a shining example of Parisian chic, the Hotel Balzac is a blend of the elegant and the modern - an aesthetic feat deftly carried out by an interior designer who re-worked the sumptuous neo-classical decor with precious, vibrant tones.

The Balzac Hotel invites you to share in its elegance and French 'art de vivre', which is teamed with a personalised service provided by several 'Golden Key' concierges and the latest in modern technologies.

The Spirit of Honoré de Balzac

The history of Hotel Balzac reads like a novel. In the beginning of the 19^th century, French banker Nicolas Beaujon commissioned the architect Nicolas-Claude Girardin to create a 'folie' for him on the considerable land attached to his principal residence. The result was a pleasure palace built at the intersection of the present day rue Beaujon and rue Balzac and known as 'La Folie Beaujon'.

This 'folie' was regarded by contemporaries as extraordinary and was built in an exotic style with a large central pavilion anchoring four attached apartments.

After Nicolas Beaujon's death, this well-known establishment evolved and changed hands several times before becoming home to a 'salon' for epicureans and champagne lovers.

Honoré de Balzac was enchanted by its atmosphere and in 1846 acquired the property to give to Countess Ewelina Hanska, who he married in May 1850.  He spent his last days in the house and died a few months later without ever having paid the purchase price.

Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature who wrote almost 100 novels and plays collectively entitled 'La Comédie Humaine', which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815.

His writing influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Marie Corelli, Henry James, Jack Kerouac, and Italo Calvino as well as important philosophers such as Friedrich Engels. Many of Balzac's works have been made into films, and they continue to inspire other writers.

Balzac's spirit lives on in the hotel where collections of antique books as well as lithographs depicting the writer, and scenes from his work can be found.