Granville townhouse

The Granville townhouse was an 18th century building constructed in the northern French coastal town of Granville.

History
The construction of the townhouse was ordered by a wealthy naval officer. The architect Jean Lassurance was hired to build it. The townhouse took eight months to construct and was completed in 1715. Experts considered it among the finest of his earlier works of architecture.

When Nazi Germany occupied France during the Second World War, the townhouse became the regional headquarters of the Luftwaffe zbV while they worked on the Hartung Project.

The townhouse was destroyed during by the Royal Air Force during the Granville raid on 5 March 1941. A 2,000-pound bomb partially demolished the building and then a second bomb scored a direct hit which blew the rest of it apart. All the paintings, books in the library and antique pieces of furniture inside were destroyed. Only one wall remained standing while the rest of the townhouse was reduced to two massive craters. (PROSE: Just War)