The Hotel des Ambassadeurs (French for "Ambassadors' Hotel") is a former hotel in

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

, now transformed into a private residence. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the hotel housed the diplomatic missions that moved from German-occupied Paris to

Location

The hotel is located near the Allier river, in the spa district of the city, at ''1 rue du Parc'' and ''place Joseph-Aletti'' opposite the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, adjacent to the Aletti Palace and in the immediate vicinity of the '.

Description

Some rooms on the ground floor with their decor have been registered since March 4, 1991, as a ''

Monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' of France: the large entrance hall with its lights, staircase and glassware by , the large living room, the small living room with its painted decoration, the old dining room and the

patio A patio (, ; ) is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia, the term is expanded to include roofed structures such as a veranda, which provides protection from sun ...

History

It was built in 1858 but in 1866 it was enlarged and restructured. A renowned hotel, it appeared in the first

tourist guide A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, and information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, rel ...

s of the time. In 1890, it was one of the first to be equipped with an

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

and a telephone. It then has a hall that can accommodate more than 500 people. In 1897, the rooms were equipped with heating (most hotels operating during the summer season were not equipped with it). In 1900, its owner, Mr. Roubeau, installed electric lighting there. It has adjoining villas around the hotel where whole families can be accommodated while benefiting from the hotel's services, such as the ' at 1 and 2 ''rue de Belgique'', and three villas on ''rue de Russie'', connected to the hotel through underground passages. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the hotel was transformed into a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...

. The hotel played an important role during

. After Germany occupied France and established a government based in Vichy, the

German government The Federal Government (, ; abbr. BReg) is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany and exercises executive power at the federal level. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers. The fundamentals o ...

requested that the diplomatic missions based in Paris move to the new provisional capital. Several governments accepted the request and established their missions in the hotel, with over twenty embassies and over forty accredited foreign diplomats moving into the hotel's rooms. Among those missions were: *

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

* *

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

* * * * * * *

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

* * * * * * In 1942, the Japanese ambassador to France, Sotomatsu Katō, fell from the window of the Japanese embassy. His funeral was attended by the local diplomatic corps, as were other events, such as the marriage of Dominican envoy

Porfirio Rubirosa Porfirio Rubirosa Ariza (January 22, 1909 – July 5, 1965) was a Dominican diplomat, race car driver, soldier and polo player. He was a supporter of dictator Rafael Trujillo, and was rumored to be a political assassin under his regime. Rubir ...

and

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

or an Orthodox mass held for King Peter II of Yugoslavia. The hotel closed definitively in 1989 and was transformed into a building with private apartments in 1998.

Gallery

Ancien hôtel des Ambassadeurs, Vichy.jpg, The first hotel before its renovation Hall de l'hôtel des Ambassadeurs, Vichy 2.jpg, The large entrance hall with its lights, staircase and glassware by Francis Chigot. Hall de l'hôtel des Ambassadeurs, Vichy.jpg, The great hall seen from the staircase.

Notes

References