What do you do in your spare time? Play video games? Read? Write?
We all have things we like to do in our free time — little pet projects that keep us busy when there isn’t anything else to be done. This building in France may be the most interesting and intricate result to ever come from one man’s hobby. It is the “Ideal Palace” and was built by a postal worker named Ferdinand Cheval.
In the late 19th century, a postal worker named Ferdinand Cheval stumbled upon a rather bizarre looking rock while walking his mail route.
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He became fascinated with its shape, and it inspired him. He became determined to build a structure he would call “Ideal Palace.”
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Everyday on his route, the mailman collected stones that would go toward the construction of his palace.
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Cheval did most of his work on the palace at night, working by the dim light of a lamp.
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After 33 years of work, Ferdinand Cheval completed his “Palais idéal” in his 70s and opened it up to the public.
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The Ideal Palace was declared a protected cultural landmark by France’s Minister of Culture in 1969.
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The palace is absolutely fascinating. Its manifold architectural styles make it truly unique.
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It participates in the artistic method of many modernists in its combination of old and arcane styles to create a wholly new piece of art.
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Cheval also built a similarly ornate tomb, in which he was laid to rest in 1924 at the age of 88.
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People travel from all around to come to Hauterives, France, just to see this amazing work of art.
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Who thought that this beautiful work of architecture would be the result of a postal worker tripping over a stone in the street?
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(via: twistedsifter.com)
This goes to show how much a little focused time and effort can produce. I don’t know about you, but this certainly inspires me to do something more with the bits of spare time I have.
