What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear of a prison? Dark and dull walls surrounded by lots of fencing, a large gate and armed watch towers, dusty playgrounds and all this at one of the isolated corners of the city. Inside, around a 6 by 8 feet room guarded by the solid or barred doors with some furniture and fixings on walls and floor. That’s a usual sight you would notice at prisons round the world that house the most inhumane masses who have been sentenced for imprisonment for their disrespectful and unlawful conduct in the society. However, surprisingly a few lucky criminals also get to taste the prison life with a flavor of luxury and believe or not, that even could be equivalent to living in a five star hotel.

The History of “Galeries Lafayette”
In 1893 Théophile Bader and his cousin Alphonse Kahn opened a fashion store in a small haberdasher’s shop at the corner of rue La Fayette and the Chaussée d’Antin, Paris. In 1896, the company purchased the entire building at n°1 rue La Fayette and in 1905 the buildings at n°38, 40 et 42, boulevard Haussmann and n°15 rue de la Chaussée d’Antin. Bader commissioned Georges Chedanne and then his pupil Ferdinand Chanut to design the layout of the Haussmann location.