Balzac ruined his health and career for a palace

In 1846, the writer Honoré de Balzac bought the chartreuse Beaujon in Paris with the money of the countess Hanska to turn it into a sumptuous palace. He dedicated all his time to decorating this place with antique furniture and master paintings to the detriment of his literary work. Upon returning from Ukraine, he exhausted himself on novels that remained unfinished at his death, and the building that was to become the Balzac museum was finally destroyed.