It took place in 1939, during the German army’s conquest of Paris. At the age of 23, Madame de Florian made the decision, along with thousands of other Parisians, to move out of her flat near the Opera Garnier and relocate to the south of France. With the start of World War II, he desired to leave the area of fighting.

Madame de Florian never went back to the apartment when the war ended, but she paid all of the bills until she passed away. The flat in the 9th District has been empty for seven decades.

It wasn’t until the 91-year-old owner passed away in 2010 that her family learned of the apartment’s existence. The family’s workers then proceeded to inventory the items. After a lengthy wait, auctioneer Olivier Choppin-Janvry unlocked the apartment doors and expressed that he felt as though he had traveled back in time. Even though they were dust-covered, pricey ornaments, exquisite paintings, and carved furniture were well maintained.

The Parisian actress Marthe de Florian, who rose to fame at the turn of the 20th century as a result of her relationships with Italian painter Giovanni Boldini and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, acquired the home from Madame de Florian’s grandmother.

A Boldini picture of actress Marthe de Florian, which fetched 2.1 million euros at auction, was found in the flat among the treasures. The other items in the apartment were left undisturbed, leaving only this one up for bid.

The heirs currently possess the home, known as the “Time Capsule,” which is closed to the public. See what the abandoned apartment looks like in the video below: