• Two apartments of around fifty m² are for sale above the Bataclan room, sadly famous for having been the site of one of the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015.

  • The seller is the Habrekorn family, owners of the building since its purchase in 1908 by Gaston Habrekorn, a successful singer and songwriter.

  • Gabriel Habrekorn, Gaston's grandson, was present at the scene the day after the attacks.

    He keeps a “very painful” memory of it.

A one-bedroom apartment in an old refurbished building, with a beautiful view of Square May-Picqueray, in the heart of the 11th arrondissement of Paris, makes you want to, doesn't it?

Future buyer or buyer, you should nevertheless know that the apartment is located just above the Bataclan room.

Obviously, this makes it a somewhat special accommodation, as the terrorist attack of November 13, 2015 is inscribed in the collective memory.

It is Daniel Habrekorn, poet by profession, according to his Wikipedia file, and felt on the head, who makes the visit.

His family owns the entire building, - "but not the lease of the performance hall, people often get confused", says our guide - since the latter's grandfather bought the building in 1908. “Gaston Habrekorn was a successful singer and songwriter, he wrote more than 800 songs for the stars of the time, says his grandson.

He ran the Japanese Divan, now Divan du monde, before buying the lease for the venue.

And as things were going well, he was able to buy back the walls in 1908. And he directed and hosted the Bataclan until 1915.”

Confused and chinese pagoda

Following successions, the building remained in the Habrekorn family but in joint possession.

Daniel Habrekorn himself lived for several years above the Bataclan.

In 1996, during work in the building, "we scraped the paint off the facade a little and we found the original earthenware", he recalls.

Restoration work was then undertaken on the facade of this building, listed as a historical monument since 1991. "We tried to find the colors of the time", explains the owner, who recalls that the architecture of the building was inspired of a Chinese pagoda.

In 1987, Daniel Habrekorn and his four siblings inherited the building.

The majority of the siblings then wanted to sell it, but a dispute with the owner of the lease at the time, Joel Laloux, derailed the affair.

“After years of lawsuits, we finally sold three apartments and we are in the process of selling two others, summarizes the poet with the hat.

We remain the owner of the hall, the café-restaurant, the shop on the ground floor and the offices on the first floor.

»

“Corpses in white covers stained with blood”

Obviously, the attack of Daesh came to upset this part of Monopoly.

“I had just moved from the apartment which is for sale and I was organizing a party at my house in the 16th arrondissement for the release of my book

Flore et Bestiaire imaginaires

, recalls Daniel Habrekorn.

Around 11 a.m., guests left and heard on the radio that an attack was taking place at the Bataclan.

They then called me to let me know.

I then contacted the venue manager to ask if they needed any help as we had the plans for the building, but it was all wrapped up and we weren't needed.

The next day at 9 a.m., Daniel and his son go to the scene.

Being owners, they manage to cross the security cordons.

We have seen corpses in white covers stained with blood and stacked in vans.

I had already seen during the Algerian war one or two corpses in the street but never something of this magnitude.

It was very hard, very painful.

We were hit very hard.

Later, we made a visit of the room with the insurances.

Despite the cleaning, there were still bullet holes, traces of blood and a kind of smell… It was horrifying.

»

During the terrorist attack, some of the spectators, fleeing bullets and explosions through the roofs, found refuge in the apartment currently for sale.

Civil party to the trial of the attacks of November 13, Daniel Habrekorn went there several times.

He is still waiting for compensation, he who notably lost the rent for his shop on the ground floor.

"But that's not the most serious thing," he relativizes.

Our file on the Bataclan

Especially since if he manages to sell the two apartments, it will make a little butter in the spinach.

“I am selling the 58 m² one for 700,000 euros and the other smaller one for 600,000 euros.

They are in very good condition, with double glazing,” he boasts.

For the moment, the offers made were not sufficient.

While waiting for the sale to take place, Daniel Habrekorn is preparing the release of his next book

Bataclan, histoire d'une salle

.

Family history, one would be tempted to correct.

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  • Paris

  • Bataclan

  • Attacks of November 13

  • Terrorist attacks in Paris

  • Real estate

  • Ile-de-France