The Mysterious Death of Leonard Tauber, founder of The Majestic Hotel
Léonard Tauber was born in Austria on June 5th 1857 and he died on March 9th 1944. He was 87 when he passed away in the Hotel Raphael, which is the next door neighbour of the new Peninsula Paris. Paris was still occupied by the armies of Hitler’s Third Reich at the time of Tauber’s death, 19 Avenue Kleber was the headquarters of the German staff army and the Raphael was used by Nazi officers for wining, dining, whoring and sleeping.
Apart from being one of the most successful hoteliers in Paris, Tauber was also a gifted chess player and became president of the French Chess Federation. He hosted many international tournaments at The Majestic. Tauber’s entry in the archives of the federation says this:
“Léonard Tauber est un ancien président de la Fédération Française des Echecs. Il a été le principal mécène des échecs français pendant la première moitié du 20ème siècle.
Léonard Tauber est originaire de Vienne en Autriche où son père était hôtelier. Il est arrivé en France vers 1881 et a été naturalisé français le 18 juillet 1892 (2). Comme son père, c’est dans le domaine de l’hôtellerie qu’il va faire sa carrière.
Il est le créateur de plusieurs hôtel de luxe à Paris. Il ouvrit le Régina en 1900 (2 place des pyramides à proximité du musée du Louvre), puis le Majestic en 1907 (30 rue La Pérouse à proximité des Champs Elysées), puis le Raphaël en 1925 (17 avenue Kleber à proximité de l’Arc de Triomphe et des Champs Elysées).
Léonard Tauber a été le propriétaire ou le principal administrateur d’autres hôtels parisiens, comme l’Hôtel de Calais, ou l’Hôtel de Vendôme.”
Tauber had become a naturalised citizen of France in 1892 and it seems probable that he was Jewish by birth, his father being a hotelier in Vienna. This makes his death in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944 somewhat mysterious, especially as he died in a property teeming with German officers. More intriguing still is that Tauber’s funeral took place in a Catholic church, Église Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot.
As with many aspects of 19 Avenue Kleber’s past we continue to research this part of its history and welcome input from readers. The descendants of Constant Bavarez, Tauber’s business partner, were approached for assistance on this issue. The Bavarez family, which retain ownership of The Raphael and Regina hotels as well as the Villa Majestic rebuffed all requests to access their archives or answer questions.