View from the Gardens
The following pictures are of the Donna Maria Sursock Villa. Here is a bit of history on this historic house.
The village of Sofar (where we reside in Lebanon) owes its existence to the railway built by the Ottomans in 1880 which linked Beirut to Rayyak in the Beqaa valley with many stops on the way and one of them being Sofar. Because of its easy access, purity of air and stunning location overlooking the beautiful Hammana valley, the village quickly grew under the impulse of Beirut's "Haute Bourgeoisie" who made it its favorite summer destination by building many lavish villas. Her husband Alfred built the Villa known as Donna Maria Sursock’s residence in her honor in 1909. The Villa looks a little like a small fairy tale castle and is interesting because of its decorative elements in cast cement, a novelty at the time. The Villa was used extensively all summers up to 1975 and unfortunately, it was severely damaged and looted by various armies and militias roaming the area at the time of the civil war. It stands today wrecked and uninhabited, but forms a majestic and dramatic backdrop to wedding receptions that usually take place in the front esplanade which has been totally rehabilitated, a first step towards complete restoration of the villa.
