His name was Ferdinand Cheval, and French is the architect of a single castle of its kind: the Ideal Palace.
Without any technical background, he spent 33 years building this unusual stone by stone building. He collected them during his daily rounds 30 kilometers.
This unusual building, the work of one man, was conducted between 1879 and 1912 and is located in Hauterives, a small town in south-eastern France.
One day, while he was doing his rounds, he would have picked up a rock to the strange shape. It would have inspired and would have given him the desire to make this crazy project. Since he made his tour with his mail and … a wheelbarrow. This he used to bring the largest stones for his project.
The Ideal Palace is open to almost all year tours and hosts more than 100,000 visitors a year so if you are nearby, do not hesitate to check it out! It is a place that is now often used to house concerts and art exhibitions. And when you see the photos … one can clearly see why.
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