Although it is usual that the inheritance money is distributed among the relatives and loved ones of the deceased, there are times when this does not happen, either because he has no living relatives or because he decides to leave the money to other causes. In these cases, fate can surprise those who receive it, as happened in the French town of Thiberville, with about 1,800 inhabitants, which received 10 million euros as an inheritance from a man who had never set foot on its streets.
According to Euronewsthe benefactor was a meteorologist living in Paris who died in August 2024, aged 91 and without children. In his will he decided to leave all his fortune, which he had received from his family, to this town that shared his last name. Without direct ties to the town, he decided that this coincidence would be the symbolic link that united his legacy to the municipality.
The mayor, who had been in office for almost three decades, received the news through a call from a lawyer. “It is an exceptional sum of money. Obviously, the amount exceeds all imagination,” he told France Bleu radio station. The figure is equivalent to five times the annual budget of the town council, which represented a radical change for the town’s public accounts. Furthermore, as it was a public body, the municipality did not pay the inheritance tax.
Management “with prudence and responsibility”
An inheritance of these dimensions meant a great economic impact for the town. However, its mayor wanted to put his feet on the ground and, after reducing the initial euphoria, assured that the money would not be spent hastily. “We will not spend it all. We are going to manage this endowment as we have always done with our municipal budget: with prudence and responsibility,” he explained.
His only request was that his ashes be deposited in the local cemetery, accompanied by a plaque with his name.
As soon as it received the inheritance, the city council began to organize the priorities for investing the money. The first was the early repayment of a bank loan of more than 400,000 euros that was used to build a new primary school.
Other projects were also considered, such as the creation of a public garden with a children’s play area; the construction of a bowling alley covered with photovoltaic panels to generate shade and energy; energy efficiency improvements in schools; the creation of a public services center; and the installation of an artificial soccer field.