Lavish lairs: inside the homes of the world's worst dictators
Tour the most infamous despot dwellings
Obscenely extravagant, the world's most monstrous tyrants certainly didn't hold back when it came to enriching themselves, splashing out on lavish residences and outrageously expensive items with their ill-gotten gains. From Hitler's Berlin bolthole to Saddam's blingy Baghdad palace, take a look around the homes of seven of the most notorious dictators from around the globe.
Adolf Hitler's residence, Berlin, Germany
When Adolf Hitler gave himself the title of Führer in 1934, he commandeered the former German president's private apartment in Berlin's Reich Chancellery and renamed it the Führerwohnung, meaning leader's apartment. The reviled Nazi despot was unimpressed with the space, which he thought looked "fit for a soap company”.
Adolf Hitler's residence, Berlin, Germany
Still, the ruthless dictator filled the apartment with expensive art and antiques, many of which were stolen from victims of his horrific regime. The mastermind of the Holocaust, Hitler was responsible for the genocide of six million Jews, along with millions of others from minority groups, including Slavs, the Roma, disabled people, gay people, resistance fighters and Jehovah's Witnesses.
Adolf Hitler's residence, Berlin, Germany
Hitler set about remodelling the residence in the late 1930s and called upon the services of Paul Ludwig Troost. When Troost died in 1934, his widow Gerty assumed responsibility for the renovations and became Hitler's personal interior decorator. This image shows the despot's intimidating ceremonial office at the Reich Chancellery.
Adolf Hitler's residence, Berlin, Germany
Hitler's private office was more compact and austere. Aside from his official Berlin residence, he owned a country retreat, the Berghof near Berchtesgaden, along with an apartment in Munich, and spent more than 800 days during World War II in the fortified bunker of the Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) near Gierłoż in modern-day Poland.
Step inside the secret bunker that only billionaires can afford to live.
Adolf Hitler's residence, Berlin, Germany
The Führerwohnung library contained Hitler's personal collection of books, which numbered an estimated 6,000 volumes. A voracious reader, the Hitler is said to have got through one book a day, though many great works of literature were banned by the regime, including works by seminal authors such as Marcel Proust, Ernest Hemingway and Aldous Huxley.
Adolf Hitler's residence, Berlin, Germany
Hitler lived at the Führerwohnung on and off until the last days of World War II, when along with his mistress Eva Braun and closest confidants, he retreated to the Führerbunker, a nearby air raid shelter. As the Red Army closed in, Hitler married Braun on April 28th, 1945. Two days later, the couple committed suicide. Following the war, the Soviets demolished the Reich Chancellery. Pictured here is a full-scale replica of Hilter's office, featured in the Berlin Story Bunker exhibition.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's home, Bucharest, Romania
During the 1970s and 1980s, Romania was drowning in debt, food was severely rationed and extreme poverty was widespread, yet communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu lived a life of decadent luxury. His Bucharest home, the Palatul Primaverii (Spring Palace), was a showcase of his inordinate ill-gotten wealth.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's home, Bucharest, Romania
While his people lived in constant fear of the Securitate, the Romanian secret police, Ceausescu and his wife Elena were busy designing the most lavish property imaginable. Built in the 1960s, the home's principal reception room has all the dictator trappings, including gilded furniture, lashings of marble, pricey artworks, a sparkling chandelier and an extravagant Persian carpet.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's home, Bucharest, Romania
The dining room is equally luxe with yet another expensive crystal chandelier, plus a handwoven tapestry and solid oak furniture. Comprising 30 rooms, the property was the couple's home for the last 25 years of their lives.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's home, Bucharest, Romania
Ceaușescu also had a striking indoor swimming pool installed in the property, hiring only the best artisans the country had to offer to decorate the pool room with mosaic tiles and marble flooring. Other features of the palace include an indoor winter garden, as well as a spa and gym.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's home, Bucharest, Romania
Emullating the lavish interiors of the world's richest, the master bedroom is kitted out with Versailles-esque furniture and copious gilding, along with a priceless Murano glass mirror and yet another crystal chandelier.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's home, Bucharest, Romania
However, Ceaușescu saved the most eye-popping decor for the bathroom. The fixtures are made from solid gold, from the taps to the toilet roll holders. The dictator's nightmare rule came to an end in 1989 during the Romanian Revolution, when Ceausescu and his wife were convicted of genocide and executed by firing squad on Christmas Day. The property of the Romanian government, the palace is now a museum.
Ferdinand Marcos' mansion, Tacloban City, Philippines
President of the Philippines from 1966 to 1986, Ferdinand Marcos's infamous regime has gone down in history for being remarkably brutal and corrupt. The far-right dictator and his shopaholic wife Imelda plundered hundreds of millions of dollars and were thought to have had over 20 mansions at their disposal, including this home in Tacloban City.
Ferdinand Marcos' mansion, Tacloban City, Philippines
Famed for her prized collection of more than 1,000 high-end shoes, Imelda Marcos had the swish 21,500-square-foot mansion constructed in the late 1970s. The fashion-obsessed first lady also had a shrine to Santo Niño de Cebú built on the site, along with a heritage museum.
Ferdinand Marcos' mansion, Tacloban City, Philippines
The couple packed their mansion with pricey art and antique furniture. Imelda Marcos even commissioned a mural of herself rising out of the sea like a goddess. Note the gold mosaic wall tiles, flashy chandelier and ornate plaster ceilings, all of which undoubtedly came with enormous price tags.
Ferdinand Marcos' mansion, Tacloban City, Philippines
In addition to the mural, Mrs Marcos appointed top artists to paint numerous portraits of herself to adorn the walls. The picture here is set amongst gilded antique sofas, chairs and Chinoiserie pots that were more than likely picked up during the first lady's many shopping trips to Paris.
Ferdinand Marcos' mansion, Tacloban City, Philippines
If the master bedroom at the Tacloban City mansion is anything to go by, it's not hard to work out why Imelda was dubbed “Marie Antoinette with shoes”. In fact, the gold-adorned room is so opulent and palatial, it even puts even the royal bedchambers at Versailles to shame.
Discover the secrets of the world's most unusual royal buildings.
Ferdinand Marcos' mansion, Tacloban City, Philippines
The regal theme carries into the master bathroom, which is as excessively grandiose as the other rooms in the property. Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were forced to flee the Philippines following the 1986 People Power Revolution. Today, their Tacloban City home is open to the public and serves as a monument to the couple's excess.
Saddam Hussein's palace, Baghdad, Iraq
Part of the extensive Al Radwaniyah Presidential Complex on the outskirts of Baghdad, the Al Faw Palace, which is also known as the Water Palace, was commissioned by dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1990s. The structure was built to commemorate the retaking of the Al Faw Peninsula by Iraqi forces during the Iran-Iraq conflict in 1988.
Saddam Hussein's palace, Baghdad, Iraq
One of over 80 palaces belonging to the Iraqi despot, Saddam spared no expense decorating the 450,000-square-foot palace, which is surrounded by a vast artificial lake. All in all, the building has 62 rooms and 29 bathrooms, with a majestic chandelier and Italian marble fitted in the lavish main hall.
Saddam Hussein's palace, Baghdad, Iraq
Saddam didn't actually spend a lot of time at the palace. In fact, he is only thought to have stayed there for seven or eight nights in total, but his sons Qusay and Uday used it frequently as a hunting base, and the palace served as a getaway for many of the Iraqi dictator's associates. This image shows the remains of one of the grand reception rooms.
Saddam Hussein's palace, Baghdad, Iraq
Though the despotic leader preferred to sojourn at his numerous other residences, the Al Faw Palace had a gilded throne for him to sit on during his visits, complete with gold lions and elaborate gilded decoration. An American soldier is seen here posing on the chair following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Saddam Hussein's palace, Baghdad, Iraq
The enormous building incorporates both traditional Arabic and European design influences, such as this glittering Art Deco-inspired chandelier, which graces one of the structure's fine marble staircases. Incredibly, it takes a team of 40 between five and six hours to clean the entire palace.
Take a tour of the most lavish UK palaces that are fit for a queen.
Saddam Hussein's palace, Baghdad, Iraq
After the 2003 invasion, Saddam was overthrown and the palace was used as a command centre for US troops with many of the rooms, including the posh suites, converted into offices. More recently, it was announced that the building will be the site of Iraq's third American university.
Benito Mussolini's villa, Rome, Italy
Benito Mussolini moved into the imposing Villa Torlonia in Rome in 1925. Originally built for Prince Giovanni Torlonia, the flamboyant Fascist paid a symbolic rent of one lira a year to the powerful Torlonia family and remained in the property until his arrest in 1943.
Benito Mussolini's villa, Rome, Italy
The Neoclassical villa, which was completed in the early 17th century, is big on ostentation. The property's cathedral-like ceilings are adorned with ornate frescos, not to mention dozens of columns hewn from costly Carrara marble, as well as numerous gold-plated crystal chandeliers.
Benito Mussolini's villa, Rome, Italy
The palatial building and grounds were further developed in 1832 by the painter and architect Giovan Battisti Caretti, who added to the showy decoration and oversaw the construction of several follies, which were the height of fashion at the time. They include the so-called False Ruins, the Temple of Saturn and the Tribuna Con Fontana.
Benito Mussolini's villa, Rome, Italy
The architect Quintiliano Raimondi was enlisted to design a fabulous theatre in the grounds, which is notable for its stunning floor-to-ceiling windows and glass roof, which illuminate the interiors and negate the need for artificial light in the auditorium during daytime performances.
Benito Mussolini's villa, Rome, Italy
The quirkiest structure in the grounds, the Casina delle Civette (House of the Little Owls) dates from 1840 and was originally designed by Venetian architect Giuseppe Jappelli as a Swiss chalet. It was remodelled and enlarged in 1908 by Enrico Gennari who added fairy tale-like turrets and stained glass windows.
Benito Mussolini's villa, Rome, Italy
Mussolini had a bunker installed beneath the property, which was constructed to defend against chemical attacks and bomb blasts. After the fall of the Fascist regime in 1943 and the death of the dictator two years later, the property was occupied by US forces and then fell into disrepair. In recent years, the villa has undergone restoration works and is now open to the public.
Check out these incredible secret tunnels hiding in real homes.
Francisco Franco's manor house, Galicia, Spain
Francisco Franco ruled over Spain from 1939 to his death in 1975. Throughout his long-lasting dictatorship, the despot was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people through forced labour and executions. The dictator had an official residence in Madrid as well as this manor house in Galicia, the region of his birth.
Francisco Franco's manor house, Galicia, Spain
Franco used the manor house, which is called Pazo de Meirás, as a summer retreat to escape the stifling heat of the Spanish capital. Built in the late 19th century in a Revivalist style, the property belonged to the Pardo Bazán family before it was taken over by the local Nationalist faction in 1938.
Francisco Franco's manor house, Galicia, Spain
Despite Franco's death in 1975 and the restoration of democracy in Spain, the property remains under the ownership of the Franco family. The manor house is decorated in a traditional Spanish style with plenty of Catholic iconography, including an abundance of crucifixes on the walls and numerous religious paintings.
Francisco Franco's manor house, Galicia, Spain
Along with a number of fine crystal chandeliers, a gilded ship hangs from one of the ceilings. It is a model of the famed Santa Maria, the vessel Christopher Columbus used for his first voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. The ship was built in Galicia, which accounts for its position in pride of place.
Francisco Franco's manor house, Galicia, Spain
The manor house also contains a splendid chapel boasting an intricately carved wooden altarpiece, several crystal chandeliers and numerous antique statues and other treasures.
Francisco Franco's manor house, Galicia, Spain
Last year the dictator's grandchildren put the country pile up for sale with an asking price of £6.8 million ($9m). The property is listed with Mikeli Luxury Real Estate.
Check out these stunning stately homes struggling to survive.
Muammar Gaddafi's compound, Tripoli, Libya
Born into a Bedouin family in 1942, Muammar Gaddafi went on to lead a coup in 1969 that resulted in the overthrow of Libya's King Idris I. Colonel Gaddafi transformed Libya into a pseudo-socialist state, whilst managing to amass a personal fortune to the tune of £152.1 billion ($200 billion). His main residence was Bab al-Azizia, a sprawling walled compound in Tripoli.
Muammar Gaddafi's compound, Tripoli, Libya
The vast compound contained Gaddafi's private residence, military barracks, a mosque, swimming pool and various other structures. Though the property wasn't considered as luxurious as his homes in the Gulf States, the colonel's Tripoli residence wasn't short of grandeur as you can see from this image of Gaddafi with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Muammar Gaddafi's compound, Tripoli, Libya
Staying true to his Bedouin roots, Gaddafi actually preferred to live in an air-conditioned tent situated within the complex, and would often entertain foreign dignitaries there (this picture shows him with a delegation that includes former French president Jacques Chirac). The colonel also liked to travel with his tent. In 2009, he submitted an application to pitch it in New York's Central Park, much to the dismay of the local authorities.
Muammar Gaddafi's compound, Tripoli, Libya
In April 1986, the compound was the target of US airstrikes, which were authorised by President Ronald Reagan in retaliation for the Berlin discotheque bombing earlier that month. The despotic leader was eventually deposed following the 2011 Arab Spring. Bab al-Azizia was bombed by NATO and the compound's guards surrendered in August 2011.
Muammar Gaddafi's compound, Tripoli, Libya
Gaddafi, who had fled to his home town of Sirte, was killed by National Transitional Council forces on 20 October 2011. Following his death, the colonel's compound was looted and vandalised. Now used as a market and occupied by squatters, much of it has been destroyed.
Hungry for more historic homes? Step inside the real-life gangster homes and hideouts of the Mafia.
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature