Palace of Rochesburg

Palace of Rochesburg
Palace of Rochesburg
Palácio de Rochesburg
Former names	Sinclair Palace; Palace of the Kings
General information
Architectural style	Romanesque
Classification	Official residence
Town or city	Malmünd
Country	Ebenthal
Groundbreaking	1936
Owner	Ebenthali Royal Family
Landlord	Armando, 5th Baron of Roches
Affiliation	House of Bruyn
Height	8,5 meters
Technical details
Size	388m²
Floor count	3
Other information
Parking	3

The Palace of Rochesburg (Portuguese: Palácio de Rochesburgo) is the official residence of Armando, 5th Baron of Roches and formerly the official residence of King Arthur II of Ebenthal, even though the monarch inhabited an apartment administrated altogether with the palace. Located on the Southern Borough of Malmünd, the palace was acquired in August 2020 by the Baron of Roches, father to the King, and as every other royal palace of Ebenthal, it is privately owned and administrated by the reigning family.

Etimology

The residence first given name was "Sinclair Palace, after Lady Elisabeth Sinclair, an ancestor of the House of Bruyn and the connection bridge between the family to the European medieval royalty. The name was later changed to "Palace of the King", referencing the House of Bruyn's long royal ancestrality which is traced back to the kings of England, Scotland, France and Hungary. Finally, following the Royal Decree that altered the capital's former name of Gillisburgh to Altenburg, the palace was subsequently renamed as Rochesburg, a junction of the Portuguese word name "Roches", after the Portuguese noble title of "Baron of Roches" held by the Head of the House of Bruyn, to the German toponymy "Burg", for keep, thus meaning "Roches's Keep".

History

The building it is a two-store plus attic largehouse built entirelly on rocks in a romanesque style with some gothic influences. It is estimated that its construction began after 1936 and was finished before 1941, order by some wealthy family seeking to live a bohemian life next to Rio de Janeiro's most prominent cassinos and bars at the time. In the 1970s Rochesburg was sold to the Bernardes family, who lived there until 2019. In the 1990s, in order to control the parking spots at the neighbourdhood, Rio de Janeiro's prefecture designated one parking spot for the residence at the street, thus expanding the limits of the terrain.

Vacant since the Bernardes family left in 2019, the building was put up for sale without much success due to the high price charged. In 2020, after 8 months of negotiations, Armando, 5th Baron of Roches, bought the house for a smaller amount, having assumed the debts in taxes and fines of the house. Having reserved a room for his son, the then King Arthur II of Ebenthal, the residence, then a large unnamed house, was officially named "Sinclair Palace" in honor of Lady Elisabeth Sinclair, a family's ancestor. The name, however, was changed to "Palace of the Kings" in a few weeks, making reference to the European royal ancestors of the King of Ebenthal and the Baron of Roches through Elisabeth. In 2022, taking advantage of the capital's change of name, King Arthur II renamed the palace as "Rochesburg", making a clear reference to his noble heritage.

Despite being called a palace, however, the Palace of the Rochesburg does not have the architectural structure of a palace, even though it is a very large house. And despite being the official residence of the monarch, King Arthur lived in an apartment called Meyer Annex in the Northern Borough of Malmünd, jointly managed and therefore officially part of the Palace. In 2022 the King moved to the Bubbington Palace.

Pavillions

The palace is divided into two main floors, plus an attic and a basement. It has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as a living room, dining room, kitchen, and three hallways. The palace is divided they following way:

The Social Pavilion: the living room, entrance hall and downstairs bathroom.
The Coffee with Biscuit Pavilion: the kitchen, dining room and balcony.
The Royal Pavilion: a simple bedroom, two suite bedrooms, the attic bedroom, one bathroom and the Kings Palace Observatory.
The Arts Pavilion: two hallways.
The Dungeon: the basement

The Royal Observatory

In addition to the pavilions, the Royal Observatory of Malmünd is located in the attic of the palace, managed by the Ebenthali Space Research Institute through a legal agreement. The observatory, which has two telescopes, unlike the rest of the palace, is restricted to visiting without an appointment.

Gallery

Rooms and details
Main entrance.
Living room.
Living room in details.
Part of the Café com Biscoito pavilion.
Dining room's chandelier.
The Kings Palace Observatory at the second floor.

References