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Baron EmpainWealthy Belgian engineer, entrepreneur, financier, industrialist and amateur Egyptologist
Date of Birth: 20.09.1852
Country:  Belgium |
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Baron Empain - Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and the Creation of Heliopolis
Baron Empain, born on September 20, 1852, was a wealthy Belgian engineer, entrepreneur, financier, industrialist, and amateur Egyptologist. He is best known as the founder of modern Heliopolis, which is now one of the wealthiest districts in Cairo. But how did a Belgian man end up in Egypt? What inspired the construction of Baron Empain's Palace? And when did Empain earn his baron title?
Early Life and Career
Baron Edward Louis Joseph Empain was born on September 20, 1852, in Beloeil, Belgium. He was the son of a school teacher, François Julien Empain, and his wife Catherine. Edward embarked on his entrepreneurial journey alongside his brother François and other family members, and their business ventures brought them great wealth.
Empain began his career as a draftsman at the metallurgical company "Société métallurgique" in 1878. However, he soon shifted his focus to railway construction when he realized the inadequate transportation infrastructure in rural areas. After the success of the railway line "Liège-Gemep," Baron Empain's company built several other lines in France, including the Paris Metro.
Recognizing the importance of favorable banking relationships for his industrial interests, Empain founded his own bank, "Banque Empain," in 1881. Later known as the Belgian Industrial Bank, this institution played a vital role in supporting his ventures.
Expansion and Development
In the 1890s, Empain's conglomerate, "The Empain Group," expanded significantly and was responsible for laying tram lines in Europe, Russia, China, Belgian Congo, and Cairo, Egypt. Seeking independence from electricity suppliers, Empain also played a role in establishing various power companies to support his interests.
Empain arrived in Egypt in January 1904, intending to save one of his company's projects, the "S.A. des Chemins de Fer de la Basse-Egypte." Although he failed to retain the contract, Empain decided to stay in Egypt. In 1906, he founded the company "Cairo Electric Railways & Heliopolis Oases Company," which acquired a large plot of desert land, approximately 25 square kilometers, northwest of Cairo, from the Egyptian government at a low price. In that same year, the company began the construction of the new city of Heliopolis, located 10 km from Cairo.
Heliopolis was conceived as a "city of luxury and leisure" with wide streets and all necessary amenities and infrastructure, including water, sewage, electricity, and hotels, such as the "Heliopolis Palace Hotel," formerly used as President Hosni Mubarak's palace. Heliopolis also offered rental housing with innovative structures tailored to specific social classes. These included standalone villas, terraced apartments, multi-story residential blocks with balconies, and bungalows for workers.
Perhaps most famously, Empain initiated the construction of the Baron Empain Palace (or the Hindu Palace) on Avenue de Palais in Heliopolis. Inspired by the grand temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Hindu temples of Orissa, French architect Alexandre Marcel worked on the palace's exterior, while Georges-Louis Claude was responsible for the interior design. The palace was completed by 1911.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1905, Edward assisted the Belgian government in purchasing the mastaba of the Old Kingdom for the Royal Museum in Brussels. In 1907, Empain was awarded the title of Baron. During World War I, he served as a general and contributed to defense production in Paris and Le Havre for the Belgian army.
Baron Empain passed away in Woluwe on July 22, 1929. His baron title was inherited by his son Jean, who married American showgirl Roselle Rowland.
