18th century French chateau razed 'by mistake'

PARIS -- Residents of a sleepy French village in Bordeaux have been left dumbfounded after discovering their 18th century chateau was completely bulldozed "by mistake."

Workers hired to renovate the grand 140,000-square-foot manor and raze a small building on the same estate in southwest France mixed them up, the mayor's office in Yvrac said yesterday.

"The Chateau de Bellevue was Yvrac's pride and joy," said former owner Juliette Marmie. "The whole village is in shock. How can this construction firm make such a mistake?"

Local media reported that the company misunderstood the plans of the current owner, Russian businessman Dmitry Stroskin, to clean up the manor and restore it to its former baroque glory. Stroskin was away and returned home to discover his chateau, a local treasure boasting a grand hall that could host 200 people, was nothing but rubble.

"I'm in shock . . . I understand the turmoil of the community," Stroskin was quoted as saying. He told them he plans to build an exact replica of the lost manor on the site. -- AP