The Castle of Hearts, a must on the West Coast of the United States
If you chose to travel California State Route 1, you will surely be amazed by the cliffs, the sea and its sunsets, therefore, be alert and do not miss the detour to the monument to the incredible: the Castle of Hearts.
The incredible Hearst mansion is a palace commissioned by the press magnate William Randolph Hearst to the architect Julia Morgan, located near San Simeon, San Luis Obispo County, California, United States.
The great dream of the tycoon: a European castle in the USA
It was Hearst's great dream: to build his house on top of San Simeon, "the most beautiful place in the world." For the press magnate, this enclave, located on the central coast of California, was a very special place, which he visited very often, especially in summer.
He liked to camp with his family (he had a wife and five children) and enjoy the views. His favorite place was a hill, 490 meters above sea level, which he called the Enchanted Hill (in Spanish). The views from there are spectacular: the Pacific Ocean in front, extensive prairies to the sides and, behind, the Santa Lucia mountains. The Castle of Hearts, a must on the West Coast of the United States
A summer house in California
This gigantic property, about 300 square kilometers, had belonged to his family since 1865, when his father bought it. In 1919, Hearst decided to build his new residence there. He had just inherited $7.5 million after his mother's death.
He was 56 years old then and owned a powerful publishing empire. He owned a dozen newspapers, magazines (Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar...), radio stations, news agencies and the film production company Cosmopolitan, created to promote the career of his lover, actress Marion Davies.
Hearst told his architect that he wanted her to build him "something on the top of San Simeon." At first it was going to be a “simple” summer residence. However, he changed his plans over the months and asked for something bigger: he wanted something great and he wanted it soon.
Thus the fabulous castle appeared over the hill. With impressive views of the west coast and the Pacific Ocean, it occupies an area of just over 101,000 hectares, has 56 rooms, 61 bathrooms and 19 lounges.
Building it was not easy. The transportation of materials, the lack of manpower, the endless costs. San Simeon was in such an unpopulated area that there were hardly any workers in the immediate vicinity.
So it was decided to start with the guest houses. The first to be completed was Casa del Mar, a 497 square meter house with 8 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a living room and a large terrace. The Hearst family stayed there until the main building, the Casa Grande, was built.
Work began on the Casa Grande in 1921, but it was never finished. Although the most important rooms were in use in 1927, construction continued almost without interruption until 1947. Its external appearance is more reminiscent of a church than of a castle.
Over the years, criticism made itself felt. Hearst thought he was building a Spanish-style castle, but in reality he was building a bombastic and kitsch mix of Spanish-Muslim palace, Gothic monastery, Renaissance church, and colonial villa.
A historicist pastiche that, due to its picturesque location and its enormous dimensions, is also reminiscent of the Bavarian castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria.
Earst surrounded his castle with all kinds of facilities for recreational use. From gardens to tennis courts, an airfield with two runways (used by famous aviators such as Howard Hughes, Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh) and two magnificent swimming pools, one indoor and one outdoor.
But, without a doubt, Hearst's great eccentricity was the construction of a huge private zoo, the largest in the world. The tycoon considered it very quaint and fun to have animals roaming freely around his ranch. The Castle of Hearts, a must on the West Coast of the United States
At first, he only bought species that could live in the wild and feed on the grasses on his land, such as elk, white deer, or bison. But soon after he began to buy more exotic animals. He hired the curator of the San Diego Zoo and filled the farm with zebras, giraffes, pumas, lions, bears, leopards... According to inventories, he had more than three hundred animals.
Over the years, the Hearst empire began to collapse. The magnate, aware of the enormous maintenance costs of San Simeon, tried to donate it while he was alive. He offered it to the University of California, but they turned it down.
Ultimately, it was ceded to the state of California, which placed it under the management of the Park System. In 1958 it was opened to the public as a museum. It receives about a million visitors a year. Some of them, on the warmer days, have seen zebras grazing around.
The visit is highly recommended. In high season, you must get tickets in advance.
Like Carmel, Monterrey or the 17-mile highway, Hearst Castle is an obligatory stop on the tour of California's Big Sur.
